often attributive
1
: the season for gathering in agricultural crops
the beginning of the harvest
2
: the act or process of gathering in a crop
assisting neighbors in their harvest
3
a
: a mature crop (as of grain or fruit) : yield
bountiful harvests
b
: the quantity of a natural product gathered in a single season
the salmon harvest
timber harvests
4
: an accumulated store or productive result
a harvest of revenue
the bitter harvest of years of neglect
harvested; harvesting; harvests
1
a
: to gather in (a crop) : reap
harvesting corn
b
: to gather, catch, hunt, or kill (salmon, oysters, deer, etc.) for human use, sport, or population control
c
: to remove or extract (something, such as living cells, tissues, or organs) from culture (see culture entry 1 sense 5) or from a living or recently deceased body especially for transplanting
2
a
: to accumulate a store of
… has now harvested this new generation's scholarly labors …—M. J. Wiener
b
: to win by achievement
the team harvested several awards
: to gather in a crop especially for food
… sold it standing in the field to save himself the trouble of harvesting …—Pearl Buck
harvester
noun
Cite this Entry
“Harvest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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