harkens

present tense third-person singular of harken
as in listens
to pay attention especially through the act of hearing young people would do well to read this wise and witty book and harken to its message

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harkens The 52-mile road harkens back to a Hawaii before shopping malls and crowds, with 59 bridges to cross—46 of which have only one lane. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026 Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2, however, harkens much closer to legacy lunar lander designs. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 The piece of the puzzle that clicks into place this episode harkens back to Hal’s childhood. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2026 On the apparel front, a Ballistic Tech Vest harkens back to ’90s utility gear, while Gore-Tex rears its head again on a circa-2000 Mountain Jacket with seam seals and another shell that reaches full length. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026 In his brief time at the helm, Warsh has sought to chart a new course that harkens back to the pre-financial crisis Fed where markets were given less certain signals and the Fed had a smaller hand. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Giving a mother who kills preferential treatment harkens to the patronizing assumption that women lack agency. — Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 Although the whiskey’s presentation harkens back to a bygone chapter from the American frontier, its distribution is markedly modern. — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The menu here harkens back to the Old West with a focus on wild game. — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkens
Verb
  • The body performs them automatically while the driver listens to music, talks with a passenger or eats a sandwich.
    — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The first phase is the music one listens to while thinking about writing, and the second is the music one listens to while actually writing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Their joint venture launched March 5, with a lightweight low-runner shape that harks on the core principles of minimalism, something both brands have long championed.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • What is your response to the criticism that this pick hearkens to an era of Florida politics that is long gone?
    — Sofia Baltodano, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
  • Yenson reminds readers that the pope’s choice of name hearkens to Pope Leo XIII, who initiated modern Catholic social teaching and emphasized peace and justice.
    — Kalpana Jain, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Harkens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harkens. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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