English Reference
noun

harvesting

n.
US /ˈhɑɹvəstɪŋ/ UK /hˈɑːvɪstɪŋ/ har·vest·ing

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    the act of collecting mature crops from the fields.

    the process of gathering a mature crop from the land. Uncountable in its general sense, though countable when referring to specific instances.

    Simple

    The harvesting of the wheat usually begins in late summer.

    In context

    Mechanical harvesting has significantly reduced the labour required to bring in the corn crop before the first autumn rains arrive.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    the act of collecting any useful resource, such as data or energy.

    the systematic collection of resources, often used in technical contexts regarding data, energy, or biological materials.

    Simple

    The company was criticised for its secret harvesting of user data.

    In context

    Energy harvesting from ambient vibrations provides a sustainable power source for small wireless sensors in industrial environments.

Coonan said forced labor can often occur in industries that rely on subcontracting, with companies hiring outside crews to perform work such as harvesting crops or providing cleaning services.

Phys.org· 26 Aug 2026

Rather than harvesting silk from spiders, researchers study silk by placing silk genes into bacteria or other cells .

The Conversation· 4 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated