A harp is a big musical instrument with many strings. People play it by pulling the strings with their fingers. It is often used in music shows and bands.
She plays the harp beautifully at concerts.
The harp has many strings to play music.
To harp means to keep talking about the same thing many times. Often, it means that someone talks too much about a problem or complaint. It can sound boring or annoying.
He harped on the same problem all day.
She always harps about her bad luck.
This harp is a small instrument that you hold near your mouth and blow or pluck to make a twanging sound. It is different from the large stringed harp and is often called a jew's harp in English.
He played the harp with his mouth and fingers.
The sound of the harp was soft and twangy.
To harp means to talk again and again about one thing, usually to make it important or to complain. It is often used when someone wants others to pay attention to the same topic.
The teacher harped on the rules many times.
Politicians harped on the issue during debates.
HARP is a name for a radar system used to find underwater submarines by sending sound waves. It is used in ships and planes, mostly in military contexts. This use is technical and less common today.
The ship used harp to find submarines below.
During the war, harp helped to detect enemy vessels.
HARP is a special name for a scientific project in the United States. It studies the upper part of the atmosphere and radio waves. This meaning is used only in science and research texts.
HARP studies changes in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Scientists use HARP to research auroras and radio waves.
This meaning of harp is to keep talking about something in a way that others may find boring or annoying. It is often used to tell someone to stop repeating complaints or problems.
Don’t harp on your mistakes all the time.
She harped on her problems yesterday.
