harvest

IPA/ˈhɑːvɪst/

KK[hˈɑrvəst]IPA/ˈhɑːrvɪst/

harvestsingular
harvestsplural

1.nounB1

Definition

the season when farmers gather the food they have grown in their fields, or the food gathered at that time

Example

The wheat harvest begins in June every year across the northern plains.

collocation: wheat harvest / rice harvest / grain harvest

After a long dry summer, the apple harvest was much smaller than usual.

Common collocations

good harvest
bumper harvest
poor harvest
harvest season
harvest festival
rice harvest
wheat harvest
grape harvest

Synonyms

crop
refers to the plants themselves, not the act of gathering them
yield
focuses on the quantity produced, not the season or activity
reap
a verb for cutting and gathering; no noun form with the same meaning

Grammar Patterns

harvest of + noun

Usage Note

Often used with a specific crop name before it (wheat harvest, grape harvest, rice harvest) to refer to the collection of that crop. 'Harvest' as an uncountable noun refers to the general season of collecting crops.

Common Mistakes

The harvest of the corn was delayed by rain.

The corn harvest was delayed by rain.

English prefers the compound form 'crop name + harvest' over 'harvest of + crop' for natural phrasing.

Idioms

reap a/the harvest

idiom

To experience the good or bad results of your own past actions.

After years of hard work, Sara reaped the harvest of her success.

The company is now reaping the harvest of its poor environmental decisions.

IPA/ˈhɑː.vɪst/

KK[hˈɑrvəst]IPA/ˈhɑːr.vəst/

harvestpresent simple I / you / we / they
harvests3rd person singular
harvesting-ing form
harvestedpast simple

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1

Definition

to cut and collect a food plant such as grain, fruit, or vegetables when it has grown enough to be eaten

Example

The farmers harvest the corn in late September every year.

Beatrix and her family harvested tomatoes from their garden last weekend.

harvest + from + [location]

Common collocations

harvest rice
harvest wheat
harvest corn
harvest the fields
harvest season
harvest from the garden
harvest by hand

Synonyms

reap
more literary or formal; 'reap' suggests cutting grain with a tool, while 'harvest' is broader
gather
less specific; can be used for small-scale collection like picking flowers
pick
used for hand-picking fruit or vegetables rather than cutting field crops

Antonyms

sow
to plant seeds, the opposite of the harvest cycle
plant
to put seeds or young plants in the ground

Grammar Patterns

harvest + noun (crop/plant/field)

harvest from + noun

Usage Note

The direct object is usually the crop or the land being worked. When used intransitively, it means 'do the work of harvesting crops on a farm.' Also used for collecting seafood like oysters or clams.

Common Mistakes

The farmer harvested the apples from the tree.

The farmer picked the apples from the tree.

'harvest' is used for an entire crop, not for picking a single fruit from a tree.

2.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to take a helpful natural resource such as water, salt, or minerals from the environment so that people can make use of it

Example

The system harvests rainwater from the roof and stores it in large tanks.

collocation: harvest rainwater

Asher designed a device that harvests solar energy even on cloudy days.

collocation: harvest energy (solar, wind, thermal)

Common collocations

harvest rainwater
harvest solar energy
harvest wind power
harvest salt
harvest minerals
harvest from the environment

Synonyms

collect
a more general term; 'harvest' suggests systematic gathering for practical use
capture
used for energy (solar, wind) where the resource is naturally available
extract
implies removal by chemical or mechanical means, more industrial

Grammar Patterns

harvest + noun (substance/organism)

harvest + noun + from + noun

Usage Note

This sense focuses on capturing naturally occurring substances (water, salt, minerals, energy) rather than cultivated crops. Frequently used in environmental science and engineering contexts.

Common Mistakes

The company harvested crude oil from the ground.

The company extracted crude oil from the ground.

'harvest' is used for renewable natural resources, not for fossil fuels extracted by drilling or mining.

3.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

to take biological material such as stem cells, bone marrow, or donor organs from a person's body for use in medical treatment or research

Example

The surgical team harvested bone marrow from the donor for the patient's transplant.

collocation: harvest bone marrow / stem cells / organs

Doctors harvested skin cells from the burn victim to grow new tissue in the lab.

Common collocations

harvest stem cells
harvest bone marrow
harvest organs
harvest tissue
harvest eggs
harvest from a donor
surgically harvested

Synonyms

extract
broader; can refer to any medical removal, not necessarily for reuse
collect
softer term; often used for blood or plasma donation
procure
very formal administrative term used in hospital paperwork

Grammar Patterns

harvest + noun (cells/tissue/organs)

harvest + noun + from + noun (body/donor)

Usage Note

Formal medical term. The object is always a biological substance (cells, tissue, organ, egg, sperm). 'Harvest' in this context is neutral — it does not carry the illegal or unethical connotations that some synonyms have.

Common Mistakes

The doctor harvested the patient's appendix.

The doctor removed the patient's appendix.

'harvest' is only used for cells, tissues, or organs intended for reuse or transplantation, not for diseased organs being taken out.

4.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to automatically collect large amounts of digital information from various sources, especially for analysis or business use

Example

The software harvests customer reviews from shopping websites for market analysis.

collocation: harvest data / harvest information

Search engines harvest information from millions of web pages every day.

Common collocations

harvest data
harvest information
harvest records
harvest from websites
automatically harvested
data harvesting

Synonyms

scrape
specifically refers to extracting data from websites using automated tools
mine
implies analyzing large datasets to find patterns, not just collecting
collect
more general; does not imply automation or large scale

Grammar Patterns

harvest + noun (data/information)

harvest + noun + from + noun

Usage Note

Common in computing and digital marketing contexts. Often implies automated or large-scale collection. Can carry negative connotations when done without user consent ('data harvesting').

Common Mistakes

The student harvested information from three books for their essay.

The student gathered information from three books for their essay.

'harvest' implies automated, large-scale digital collection, not manual reading.

5.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to get a reward, benefit, or advantage from something that you have done or from a situation that has developed

Example

After years of hard work, the company is finally harvesting the rewards of its investment.

collocation: harvest the rewards / harvest the benefits

Mauricio harvested great satisfaction from mentoring young students in his community.

Common collocations

harvest the rewards
harvest the benefits
harvest the fruits
harvest profit
harvest satisfaction
harvest praise
harvest from efforts

Synonyms

reap
very similar in meaning; 'reap the benefits' is a fixed expression
gain
broader; can be used for both physical and abstract things
derive
more formal; 'derive satisfaction from' is a common collocation

Antonyms

lose
to fail to keep or obtain something
forfeit
to give up or lose as a penalty

Grammar Patterns

harvest + noun (reward/benefit/profit)

harvest + noun + from + noun (situation/effort)

Usage Note

Figurative extension of the farming sense. The object is always an abstract noun (reward, benefit, profit, praise, satisfaction). Cannot be used with physical objects — do not use for literal farming.

Common Mistakes

He harvested a lot of money from his job.

He earned a lot of money from his job.

'harvest' for abstract benefits is used with terms like reward, benefit, or profit, not directly with 'money.'

Word family

harvester
nounB2
harvesting
nounB2
harvestable
adjectiveC1
reharvest
verbC1
harvestman
nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Harvest', 'reap', 'gather', and 'pick' all relate to collecting things, but they differ in scale and method. 'Harvest' is the broadest term, used for cutting and collecting entire field crops (corn, wheat, rice) or systematically collecting seafood or natural resources. 'Reap' is more literary and specific to cutting grain with a tool like a scythe; it survives mainly in fixed expressions ('reap the benefits'). 'Gather' is less formal and used for smaller-scale collection (gather flowers, gather mushrooms, gather information) — it does not suggest farming equipment or large fields. 'Pick' means to remove individual items by hand (pick apples, pick berries) and is the right word when the action is manual and small-scale. For example, a farmer harvests wheat with a combine harvester but picks strawberries by hand into a basket.

harvest ↗reap ↗gather ↗pick ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

harvest the rewards
harvest the benefits
harvest data from
harvest time

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

The word 'harvest' comes from Old English 'hærfest' meaning 'autumn' or 'the season for gathering crops.' This Germanic root is related to the Latin 'carpō' meaning 'to pluck, gather,' and the Greek 'karpós' meaning 'fruit, grain.' Originally the word referred to the autumn season itself, not the act of gathering. By the 13th century, the meaning shifted to include the act of gathering crops and the crops gathered. The modern figurative uses (collecting data, medical tissue, or benefits) are extensions from the 16th through 20th centuries.

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harvest

harvest — noun

1. the season when farmers gather the food they have grown in their fields, or the

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

reap a/the harvest

harvest — verb

1. to cut and collect a food plant such as grain, fruit, or vegetables when it has

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. to take a helpful natural resource such as water, salt, or minerals from the env

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. to take biological material such as stem cells, bone marrow, or donor organs fro

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

4. to automatically collect large amounts of digital information from various sourc

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

5. to get a reward, benefit, or advantage from something that you have done or from

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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