harping
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
Related to harping: tediously
harp
(härp)n.
1. Music
a. An instrument having an upright triangular frame consisting of a pillar, a curved neck, and a hollow back containing the sounding board, with usually 46 or 47 strings of graded lengths that are played by plucking with the fingers.
b. Any of various ancient and modern instruments of similar or U-shaped design.
c. Informal A harmonica.
2. Something, such as a pair of vertical supports for a lampshade, that resembles a harp.
intr.v. harped, harp·ing, harps
Phrasal Verb: To play a harp.
harp on
To talk or write about to an excessive and tedious degree; dwell on.
[Middle English, from Old English hearpe and from Old French harpe, of Germanic origin.]
harp′er n.
harp′ist n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.