as in used
to put into action or service
huge dams harness the power of water to produce electricity
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Recent Examples of harnessed
To sniff out the atomic hydrogen — the more diffuse, cooler gas that acts as the initial, sprawling reservoir for future star formation — the team harnessed the immense power of China's Five Hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).
—
Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Researchers believe these differences could be harnessed in multiple industries.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
There was no single tool that could launch devastating new attacks, but large language models were still harnessed to supercharge old tricks of the trade.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
Before this 2025 breakthrough, Sabrina had harnessed grassroots organizing and digital advocacy to spotlight the pervasive violence faced by women and girls.
—Anna Mutavati, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
My losses only grew over my formative years, like a black hole whose gravity had harnessed me.
—Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
Amanda Fischer, former Securities and Exchange Commission chief of staff who is now the policy director at advocacy group Better Markets, said prediction market sites Kalshi and Polymarket are increasingly becoming mainstream by using the playbook harnessed by the cryptocurrency industry.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
But the results reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine come as doctors increasingly are exploring how a technology long used in aerospace and other industries might be harnessed for better health, too.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Soon, Dan Bricklin’s VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet software, harnessed the power of the Apple II's disk drive and became the system's killer app for businesses.
—Jamie Lendino, PC Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Researchers believe these differences could be harnessed in multiple industries.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
There was no single tool that could launch devastating new attacks, but large language models were still harnessed to supercharge old tricks of the trade.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
Before this 2025 breakthrough, Sabrina had harnessed grassroots organizing and digital advocacy to spotlight the pervasive violence faced by women and girls.
—Anna Mutavati, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
My losses only grew over my formative years, like a black hole whose gravity had harnessed me.
—Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
Amanda Fischer, former Securities and Exchange Commission chief of staff who is now the policy director at advocacy group Better Markets, said prediction market sites Kalshi and Polymarket are increasingly becoming mainstream by using the playbook harnessed by the cryptocurrency industry.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
But the results reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine come as doctors increasingly are exploring how a technology long used in aerospace and other industries might be harnessed for better health, too.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Soon, Dan Bricklin’s VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet software, harnessed the power of the Apple II's disk drive and became the system's killer app for businesses.
—Jamie Lendino, PC Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harnessed
Verb
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Two snakes, believed to be cobras, were used in the show, officials said.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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Today, the same tools are being used by state actors for geopolitical propaganda.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He’s viewed as a developmental quarterback prospect, but Green is athletic enough that he could be moved to another position or utilized as a short-yardage runner and specialty player.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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At this point, Jovic’s contract would be more an offload than an enticement, perhaps a vehicle to be utilized in taking on Ja Morant’s money.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Computer science major Ben Aybar, 22, graduated last spring from the University of Chicago and applied for about 50 jobs, mostly in software engineering, without getting a single interview.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Anxiety also reaches computer science majors Computer science major Ben Aybar, 22, graduated last spring from the University of Chicago and applied for about 50 jobs, mostly in software engineering, without getting a single interview.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Both of those vulnerabilities were actively exploited in the wild.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
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Workers put their bodies, livelihoods and lives on the line to oppose employers and governments that exploited physical laborers through inhumane working conditions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 1908, the Haskell & Barker Car Company ranked as the most complete factory for the construction of freight cars in the United States and employed more men than any other manufacturing establishment in the state of Indiana.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Papadimitriou noted that the whole shipping industry is trying to drum up exports from alternative regions to keep oil moving and, crucially, to stay employed.—
Henrik Pettersson,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harnessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harnessed. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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