Meanings
present singular third person reaps · participle present reaping · participle past reaped · past reaped · obsolete participle past reapt · obsolete past reapt
- transitiveTo gather (e.g. a harvest) by cutting.
And when ye reape the haruest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reape the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy haruest.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 19:9Synonyms: harvest
- transitiveTo obtain or receive as a reward, in a good or a bad sense.
to reap a benefit from exertions
4 more examples
Be not deceiued, God is not mocked: for whatsoeuer a man soweth, that shall he also reape.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Galatians 6:7Why do I humble thus my ſelf, and ſuing / For peace, reap nothing but repulſe and hate?
1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 60And what delights can equal those That stir the spirit’s inner deeps, When one that loves but knows not, reaps A truth from one that loves and knows?
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 64England manager Roy Hodgson got plenty right with a positive selection and the decision to play Rooney in midfield reaped a rich reward - but his boldest move may also have been his biggest mistake.
2016 June 11, Phil McNulty, “England 1-1 Russia”, in BBC SportSynonyms: harvest
- transitivecomputerTo terminate a child process that has previously exited, thereby removing it from the process table.
Until a child process is reaped, it may be listed in the process table as a zombie or defunct process.
- obsoletetransitiveTo deprive of the beard; to shave.
Came there a certaine Lord, neat and trimly drest; Fresh as a Bride-groome, and his Chin new reapt,
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii] - euphemisticslangTo rape.
plural reaps
- A bundle of grain; a handful of grain laid down by the reaper as it is cut.
Synonyms: sheaf, wheatsheaf
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo gather (e.g. a harvest) by cutting.
verbTo obtain or receive as a reward, in a good or a bad sense.
nounA bundle of grain; a handful of grain laid down by the reaper as it is cut.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁reyb-“to snatch”
- Proto-Germanic*rīpaną
- Proto-West Germanic*rīpan
- Old Englishrēopan
- Middle Englishrepen
- Englishreap
From Middle English repen, from Old English rēopan, rēpan, variants of Old English rīpan (“to reap”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīpan, from Proto-Germanic *rīpaną (compare West Frisian repe, Norwegian ripa (“to score, scratch”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyb- (“to snatch”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀμάω, θερίζω
- ἀμάω (amáo)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- θερίζω (therízō)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- ἀμάω (amáo)to gather by cutting
- θερίζω (therízō)to gather by cutting
Arabic حَصَدَ
- حَصَدَ (ḥaṣada)to cut with a sickle or other implement
Bulgarian жъ́на, ръкойка
- жъ́на (žắna)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- ръкойка (răkojka)bundle of grain
Catalan segar
- segarto cut with a sickle or other implement
Chinese Mandarin 收割, 割
- 收割 (shōugē)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- 割to cut with a sickle or other implement
- 收割 (shōugē)to gather by cutting
- 收穫 /收获 (shōuhuò)to gather by cutting
- 獲得 /获得 (huòdé)to receive as a reward
- 得到 (dédào)to receive as a reward
- 捆 (kǔn)bundle of grain
Czech žnout, žít
- žnoutto cut with a sickle or other implement
- žítto cut with a sickle or other implement
- kositto cut with a sickle or other implement
Dutch oogsten, oogsten
- oogstento cut with a sickle or other implement
- oogstento receive as a reward
Esperanto falĉi, rikolti
- falĉito cut with a sickle or other implement
- rikoltito gather by cutting
Finnish niittää, niittää
- niittääto cut with a sickle or other implement
- niittääto gather by cutting
- saadato receive as a reward
- korjatato receive as a reward
- lyhdebundle of grain
French faucher
- faucherto cut with a sickle or other implement
German ernten, schneiden
- erntento cut with a sickle or other implement
- schneidento cut with a sickle or other implement
- mähento cut with a sickle or other implement
- sensento cut with a sickle or other implement
- absensento cut with a sickle or other implement
- erntento receive as a reward
- einheimsento receive as a reward
- einsammelnto receive as a reward
- sammelnto receive as a reward
- Garbebundle of grain
Greek θερίζω, θερίζω
- θερίζω (therízo)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- θερίζω (therízo)to gather by cutting
Hawaiian ʻohi
- ʻohito cut with a sickle or other implement
Hungarian kaszál, arat
- kaszálto cut with a sickle or other implement
- aratto cut with a sickle or other implement
Italian mietere, falciare
- mietereto cut with a sickle or other implement
- falciareto cut with a sickle or other implement
- raccogliereto receive as a reward
- maturareto receive as a reward
- ballabundle of grain
- fascinabundle of grain
- covonebundle of grain
Japanese 刈る, 刈り取る
- 刈る (karu)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- 刈り取る (karitoru)to cut with a sickle or other implement
Latin tondeō, metō
- tondeōto cut with a sickle or other implement
- metōto cut with a sickle or other implement
- dēmetōto cut with a sickle or other implement
Malay tuai, sabit
- tuaito cut with a sickle or other implement
- sabitto cut with a sickle or other implement
Māori tapa, tapahi
- tapato cut with a sickle or other implement
- tapahito cut with a sickle or other implement
Norwegian Bokmål høste
- høsteto cut with a sickle or other implement
Persian درو کردن
- درو کردن (dero kardan)to cut with a sickle or other implement
Polish żąć, kosić
- żąćto cut with a sickle or other implement
- kosićto cut with a sickle or other implement
Portuguese ceifar, colher
- ceifarto cut with a sickle or other implement
- colherto receive as a reward
Romanian secera
- secerato cut with a sickle or other implement
Russian жать, сжать
- жать (žatʹ)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- сжать (sžatʹ)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- пожина́ть (požinátʹ)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- пожа́ть (požátʹ)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- коси́ть (kosítʹ)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- скоси́ть (skosítʹ)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- пожина́ть (požinátʹ)to receive as a reward
- пожа́ть (požátʹ)to receive as a reward
Scottish Gaelic buain
- buainto cut with a sickle or other implement
Slovak žať, kosiť
- žaťto cut with a sickle or other implement
- kosiťto cut with a sickle or other implement
Spanish segar, cosechar
- segarto cut with a sickle or other implement
- cosecharto cut with a sickle or other implement
- socolarto cut with a sickle or other implement
- socalarto cut with a sickle or other implement
- cosecharto receive as a reward
- recogerto receive as a reward
- miesbundle of grain
Swedish skörda
- skördato cut with a sickle or other implement
Tagalog gapasin, maggapas
- gapasinto cut with a sickle or other implement
- maggapasto cut with a sickle or other implement
Ukrainian жа́ти, пожина́ти
- жа́ти (žáty)to cut with a sickle or other implement
- пожина́ти (požynáty)to cut with a sickle or other implement
Vietnamese gặt
- gặtto cut with a sickle or other implement
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with reap
Anagrams
Cite this entry
reap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reap
“reap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reap. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reap,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reap.
Source: reap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.