Reap Meaning
/ˈɹiːp/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo cut (for example a grain) with a sickle, scythe, or reaping machine
verbTo gather (e.g. a harvest) by cutting.
Sentence Examples
Some day you will have to reap the harvest of your own sowing.
We will reap rich rewards later on in life.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers ____ the wheat in late summer when it is fully grown.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Farmers who plant in spring can expect to ____ the rewards of their labor in autumn.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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 19:9:
"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 6:7:
"Why 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 60:
"And 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 64:
"England 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 Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers ____ the wheat in late summer when it is fully grown.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Farmers who plant in spring can expect to ____ the rewards of their labor in autumn.