harp
gb/hˈɑɹp/ us/hˈɑɹp/
A2
English
~ 7300
hárfa, folyton ugyanazt hajtogat, nyaggat, valamin lovagol, szájharmonika, hárfán játszik, hárfázik, ír hárfa
NOUN
A2
1
hárfa
B1
Usage pattern:
to play [the harp]
She has played the harp in the city orchestra for ten years.
Tíz éve hárfán játszik a városi zenekarban.
The gentle sound of the harp filled the concert hall.
A hárfa lágy hangja betöltötte a koncerttermet.
They hired a harp player to perform at the wedding reception.
The museum displays an old Celtic harp in a glass case.
Learner examples
My sister can play the harp very well.
A nővérem nagyon jól tud hárfázni.
There is a harp in the corner of the music room.
Van egy hárfa a zeneterem sarkában.
The harp makes a soft and sweet sound.
He wants to learn the harp next year.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse a harp with a guitar or a piano. A harp is usually tall, stands on the floor, and has many open strings that you pluck directly with your fingers, not with a bow or keys.
Meaning
large stringed musical instrument
Collocations
play the harp
|harp music
|harp player
|orchestral harp
|Celtic harp
|harp strings
Synonyms
stringed instrument (More general; includes harps, violins, guitars, and other instruments with strings.)
Themes
music
|arts
|culture
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A big musical instrument with many strings that you play by pulling the strings with your fingers.
A large stringed musical instrument with an upright or slightly angled frame and many strings, which are plucked with the fingers to produce sound, commonly used in classical and traditional music.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to harp on (about) [something]
He keeps harping on about how unfair his boss is.
Folyton azt hajtogatja, hogy mennyire igazságtalan vele a főnöke.
I wish she would stop harping on the same mistake I made last year.
Bárcsak abbahagyná, hogy folyton a tavaly elkövetett hibámat emlegeti.
The coach harped on our poor defense throughout the entire meeting.
They’re always harping on about the good old days instead of planning for the future.
Learner examples
My dad harps on about my grades every day.
Apám mindennap a jegyeim miatt nyaggat.
Please don’t harp on that problem; I already said sorry.
Kérlek, ne lovagolj azon a problémán; már bocsánatot kértem.
She harps on the same story again and again.
They harp on about money all the time.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think *harp* by itself means simply "to talk". In modern English, this verb is almost always used in the expression *harp on (about) something* and suggests that the repeated talk is annoying or boring.
Meaning
keep talking about something
Collocations
harp on about [something]
|harp on the same point
|harp on one issue
|harp on the past
|constantly harp on
Synonyms
go on about (Very close in meaning; informal and commonly used in British English for talking too much about one subject.)
Antonyms
drop it (Means to stop talking about a subject, which is the opposite of continuing to harp on it.)
Themes
communication
|emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To keep talking about the same thing many times so that other people feel bored or annoyed.
To talk or complain about the same subject again and again, in a way that becomes boring or annoying to other people.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
to play [the harp]
He plays harp in a Chicago blues band.
Szájharmonikán játszik egy chicagói blueszenekarban.
The singer took a harp solo in the middle of the song.
Az énekes a dal közepén szájharmonika-szólót játszott.
She always carries a little harp in her jacket pocket.
The guitarist asked if anyone in the audience could play harp.
Learner examples
He plays harp in a blues club every Friday.
Minden pénteken szájharmonikán játszik egy bluesklubban.
The musician put his harp in his back pocket.
A zenész a hátsó zsebébe tette a szájharmonikáját.
She learned to play harp by listening to old blues records.
The band needs someone who can play harp and guitar.
Common mistake:
Learners may think *harp* always means the large string instrument. In blues and some popular music, musicians often use *harp* to mean a harmonica, especially in phrases like *blues harp*.
Meaning
harmonica, especially in blues
Collocations
blues harp
|play the harp
|harp solo
|harp player
|harp riff
Synonyms
harmonica (Standard and more widely understood word; *harp* is a genre-specific informal term.)
Themes
music
|arts
|slang
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
An informal word, mainly in blues music, for a harmonica.
In informal usage, especially in blues and folk music, a harmonica.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
4
hárfázik
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] harps [on a harp]
A lone musician harped in the corner of the grand hall.
Egy magányos zenész hárfázott a díszterem sarkában.
She harped gently while the choir sang behind her.
Finoman hárfázott, miközben mögötte a kórus énekelt.
The bard sat by the fire and harped through the night.
Learner examples
In the old story, a man sits and harps by the river.
A régi történetben egy férfi a folyóparton ül és hárfázik.
The woman harped while the children danced.
A nő hárfázott, miközben a gyerekek táncoltak.
He harped in the castle for the king.
Common mistake:
This verb meaning is rare and mainly found in literary or old-fashioned texts. In everyday English, people normally say *play the harp* instead of using *harp* as a verb.
Meaning
play the harp instrument
Collocations
harping minstrel
|harped softly
|harping on his harp
Synonyms
play the harp (Modern phrase; clearer and more common than using *harp* as a verb.)
Themes
music
|arts
|literary
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make music by playing a harp.
To play music on a harp.
NOUN
B2
5
ír hárfa
B2
Usage pattern:
the harp [as a symbol of Ireland]
The Irish harp appears on the country’s official coat of arms.
Az ír hárfa szerepel az ország hivatalos címerében.
You can see the harp on many Irish coins and government documents.
A hárfa sok ír érmén és kormányzati dokumentumon látható.
The airline’s logo is based on the traditional Irish harp.
The harp has long been a national symbol of Ireland.
Learner examples
There is a small harp on Irish coins.
Egy kis hárfa van az ír érméken.
The harp is a national symbol of Ireland.
A hárfa Írország nemzeti jelképe.
The logo has the shape of an Irish harp.
We saw the harp sign on a government building in Dublin.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that *harp* here refers to the picture or design, not the physical musical instrument. Context such as *on coins*, *on the flag*, or *as a national symbol* usually makes the meaning clear.
Meaning
Irish national symbol in harp form
Collocations
Irish harp
|national harp emblem
|harp on Irish coins
|the harp and the shamrock
Synonyms
emblem (More general word for a symbolic design; *harp* in this sense is a specific emblem of Ireland.)
Themes
culture
|history
|politics
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A picture of a harp that is used as a national sign of Ireland on money and official things.
A stylized image of a harp used as one of the national symbols of Ireland, appearing on official emblems, coins, and documents.
Grammar
Dictionary form
harp
IPA
GB/hˈɑɹp/
US/hˈɑɹp/
Syllables & stress
harp (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (harp)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: harp
- Plural: harps
Verb
- Base: harp
- 3rd Person Singular: harps
- Present Participle: harping
- Past: harped
Word family
Forms
harps
noun
harping
verb
harped
verb
Core family
harpist
noun
Expressions
harp on
1/hˈɑɹp ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
talk repeatedly about something
To keep talking again and again about the same thing, so that people feel bored or annoyed.
Examples
- He always harps on about his achievements at work.
- Stop harping on; we’ve already heard your opinion.
- She harped on for an hour about the bad service in the restaurant.
harp on about
1/hˈɑɹp ˈɔn əbˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
go on and on about something
To talk for a long time about one thing, in a way that other people do not enjoy.
Examples
- My uncle harps on about politics every time we have dinner together.
- She keeps harping on about how expensive everything is lately.