ENGLISH
REFERENCE

harp

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈhɑɹp// UK //hˈɑːp// harp Archaic Informal Vulgar

v. to talk or complain about the same thing over and over again in an annoying way. You use this when someone won't stop bringing up a topic you are tired of hearing about.

v. to dwell on a subject tiresomely or persistently. Intransitive; requires the preposition 'on' or 'upon' to introduce the topic of discussion.


SIMPLE

He keeps harping on about his old car.

CONTEXTUAL

I know I made a mistake, but you don't need to harp on it for the rest of the week.

COMPLEX

While the manager acknowledged the initial error, he continued to harp on the procedural failure during every subsequent meeting, much to the frustration of the design team.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is intransitive and almost always pairs with the preposition 'on'.

Pitfall

Stop harping the same mistake.Stop harping on the same mistake.Harp is an intransitive verb and requires the preposition 'on' to connect to an object.

Idioms2 entries

© 2026 English Reference