reap
[reep]
- to cut (wheat, rye, etc.) with a sickle or other implement or a machine, as in harvest.
- to gather or take (a crop, harvest, etc.).
- to get as a return, recompense, or result: to reap large profits.
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- to reap a crop, harvest, etc.
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Origin of reap
before 900; Middle English repen, Old English repan, riopan; cognate with Middle Low German repen to ripple (flax); akin to ripe
Synonyms
See more synonyms for reap on Thesaurus.com3. gather, earn, realize, gain, win.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for reaping
Contemporary Examples
Privilege can be a hard concept to get a handle on, especially for those who are immersed in it and reaping the benefits.
Hütter acknowledges that Kraftwerk are now reaping the benefits of time having caught up with them.
Kraftwerk Speak: The German Electropop Act Discuss ‘Autobahn,’ Technology, and Hint at New AlbumDouglas Wolk
April 29, 2014
Its prescient move to develop the Android operating system is reaping benefits, as it dominates the smartphone market.
Yahoo! and Twitter Results Show Difficulties of Online Advertising BusinessWilliam O’Connor
October 16, 2013
Holding worker costs down and reaping the gains of a booming stock is what CEOs do, and American CEOs are very good at it.
Apple is reaping the benefits of being a massive company with a supply-chain specialist, Tim Cook, at the helm.
Historical Examples
After overcoming every obstacle, he had the satisfaction of reaping the reward of his enterprise.
Self-HelpSamuel Smiles
For our children's children the joys of reaping, the feast, and the songs of harvest home.
The Truth About WomanC. Gasquoine Hartley
They had appropriated Corinth, and were reaping the fruits of their fields at home.
AgesilausXenophon
But, not to interrupt you further (I continued), after sowing, naturally we hope to come to reaping.
The EconomistXenophon
It was the community which decided when the sowing and when the reaping should take place.
England and GermanyEmile Joseph Dillon
reap
- to cut or harvest (a crop), esp corn, from (a field or tract of land)
- (tr) to gain or get (something) as a reward for or result of some action or enterprise
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Word Origin
Old English riopan; related to Norwegian ripa to scratch, Middle Low German repen to card, ripple (flax)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for reaping
reap
v.
"to cut grain with a hook or sickle," Old English reopan, Mercian form of ripan "to reap," related to Old English ripe "ripe" (see ripe). Related: Reaped; reaping.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper