What does "harp" mean?
A musical instrument consisting of a body and a curved neck, strung with strings of varying length that are stroked or plucked with the fingers and are vertical to the soundboard when viewed from the end of the body
Harp
/hɑɹp/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A musical instrument consisting of a body and a curved neck, strung with strings of varying length that are stroked or plucked with the fingers and are vertical to the soundboard when viewed from the end of the body
- Grammar: harp is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aeolian harp, banging, belabor, belabour.
- Useful contrasts: ignore, let go, move on.
- Usage evidence: They could hear the elegant, flowing sound of a harp coming from somewhere.
How to use "harp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "harp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "harp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "harp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "harp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "harp" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aeolian harp" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "harp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A musical instrument consisting of a body and a curved neck, strung with strings of varying length that are stroked or plucked with the fingers and are vertical to the soundboard when viewed from the end of the body
"The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong / Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge"
- 2 a small rectangular free-reed instrument having a row of free reeds set back in air holes and played by blowing into the desired hole wordnet
- 3 A musical instrument consisting of a body and a curved neck, strung with strings of varying length that are stroked or plucked with the fingers and are vertical to the soundboard when viewed from the end of the body; Any instrument of the same musicological type.
- 4 a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers wordnet
- 5 Any musical instrument.; A harmonica. colloquial
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a pair of curved vertical supports for a lampshade wordnet
- 7 Any musical instrument.; A struck tuned percussion instrument of metal or wooden bars, especially as a function of a theatre organ. colloquial
- 8 A grain sieve. Scotland
- 9 The component of a lamp to which one attaches the lampshade, consisting of a lightweight frame that usually surrounds the bulb with an attachment at the top for the finial.
"Contains charts and instructions for wiring. Shows sockets, wire, harps, glass chimneys and globes, shade holders, bases, finials, and hundreds of items necessary in the building of lamps."
- 10 Ellipsis of harp seal. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"More likely, it was the prospect of meat. Curwen was by now craving a juicy roast – 'even seal chop' – and was always loosing off at tickleasses and harps."
Verb
- 1 To repeatedly mention a subject, especially so as to nag or complain. derogatory, usually, with-on
"Why do you harp on a single small mistake?"
- 2 come back to wordnet
- 3 To play on (a harp or similar instrument). transitive
- 4 play the harp wordnet
- 5 To play (a tune) on the harp. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To develop or give expression to by skill and art; to sound forth as from a harp; to hit upon. archaic, transitive
"Thou harped my fear aright."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation for a player of the harp.
Example
"They could hear the elegant, flowing sound of a harp coming from somewhere."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "harp"?
Common synonyms include: aeolian harp, banging, belabor, belabour, cithara, clarsach.
How do you use "harp" in a sentence?
They could hear the elegant, flowing sound of a harp coming from somewhere.
How do you pronounce "harp"?
Pronounced /hɑɹp/.
Etymology
From Middle English harpe, from Old English hearpe (“harp”), from Proto-West Germanic *harpā, from Proto-Germanic *harpǭ (“harp”). Cognate with Scots hairp (“harp”), West Frisian harpe, harp (“harp”), Low German Harp (“harp”), Dutch harp (“harp”), German Harfe (“harp”), Danish harpe (“harp”), Swedish harpa (“harp”).