harnessed

verb

past tense of harness
as in used
to put into action or service huge dams harness the power of water to produce electricity

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 harnessed Stephanie Leshney, founder of Dabble & Dollop, harnessed her more than two decades in the natural ingredient industry to create her line of minimal ingredients, especially bath bombs. — Faye Brookman, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026 Vibe coding became real with Lovable, lawyers harnessed Harvey, doctors slashed admin with the likes of Abridge and even the common office worker became far smarter with note taking assistants like Granola. — Sanjot Malhi, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Howard Kendall, Jupp Heynckes and Marcelo Bielsa are among those who have previously harnessed Athletic’s local talent and adapted to the club’s philosophy to leave lasting legacies at San Mames. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Properly harnessed, these mineral deposits would do wonders to boost economic growth. — Eghosa E. Osaghae, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026 Based in London and Liverpool, the doc studio has harnessed YouTube and digital distribution, as well as working with traditional broadcasters. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026 Long before solar farms and nuclear reactors joined the American grid, engineers harnessed rivers to generate vital electricity for rapidly expanding cities, farms, and industries. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026 The red planet doesn’t care to journey through this Water sign — given its introspective and emotional nature — but that doesn’t mean it can’t be harnessed correctly. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026 However, his focus is on ensuring that culture is not only seen as an asset to be harnessed but also as a liability to be respected. — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harnessed
  1. used
  2. utilized
  3. applied
  4. exploited
  5. employed
Verb
  • Bleach should never be used on a mattress, even if it’s diluted.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Even so, Wemlinger says the combo was used in much the same way throughout the home.
    — Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of used
Verb
  • Daily cargo operations The limestone transported by MV Yampu will be utilized to produce cement for homes, schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure in Victoria and South Australia.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Toronto utilized seven pitchers in a bullpen game and registered eight strikeouts.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of utilized
Verb
  • The country applied to join the EU in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
    — Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • If lime is needed to adjust the pH of the soil, it should be applied at least 1 month before reseeding.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of applied
Verb
  • Three more defendants have been sentenced to a total of 155 months in prison for their role in the Feeding Our Future Fraud scheme–the $250 MILLION scheme that exploited a program intended to feed thousands of children in Minnesota.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Early on July 11, agent 38148c found and exploited a zero-day in the Hugging Face handling of HDF5 files.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of exploited
Verb
  • The Dispatch reported that an EMCC Athletics representative would not confirm whether Stephens remains employed by the school in another capacity.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Chicago police employed 1,102 total detectives as of May 2023, and 1,163 as of last week.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of employed

Browse Nearby Words

harness
harnessed
harnesses
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Cite this Entry

“Harnessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harnessed. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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