hari|cot bean /hæ r I koʊ biːn/ (haricot beans ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Haricot beans are small white beans that are eaten as a vegetable. They are often sold dried rather than fresh. [BRIT ]
hark /hɑː r k/ (harks , harking , harked )
▸ hark back to
1 PHRASAL VERB If you say that one thing harks back to another thing in the past, you mean it is similar to it or takes it as a model. □ [V P P n] …pitched roofs, which hark back to the Victorian era.
2 PHRASAL VERB When people hark back to something in the past, they remember it or remind someone of it. □ [V P P n] The result devastated me at the time. Even now I hark back to it.
har|lequin /hɑː r l I kw I n/ ADJ [ADJ n] You use harlequin to describe something that has a lot of different colours, often in a diamond pattern. [WRITTEN ] □ …the striking harlequin floor.
har|lot /hɑː r lət/ (harlots ) N‑COUNT If someone describes a woman as a harlot , they disapprove of her because she is a prostitute, or because she looks or behaves like a prostitute. [OFFENSIVE , OLD-FASHIONED , DISAPPROVAL ]
harm ◆◇◇ /hɑː r m/ (harms , harming , harmed )
1 VERB To harm a person or animal means to cause them physical injury, usually on purpose. □ [V n] The hijackers seemed anxious not to harm anyone.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Harm is physical injury to a person or an animal which is usually caused on purpose. □ [+ to ] All dogs are capable of doing harm to human beings.
3 VERB To harm a thing, or sometimes a person, means to damage them or make them less effective or successful than they were. □ [V n] …a warning that the product may harm the environment.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Harm is the damage to something which is caused by a particular course of action. □ To cut taxes would probably do the economy more harm than good.
5 PHRASE If you say that someone or something will come to no harm or that no harm will come to them, you mean that they will not be hurt or damaged in any way. □ There is always a lifeguard to ensure that no one comes to any harm.
6 PHRASE If you say it does no harm to do something or there is no harm in doing something, you mean that it might be worth doing, and you will not be blamed for doing it. □ They are not always willing to take on untrained workers, but there's no harm in asking.
7 PHRASE If you say that there is no harm done , you are telling someone not to worry about something that has happened because it has not caused any serious injury or damage. □ There, now, you're all right. No harm done.
8 PHRASE If someone is put in harm's way , they are caused to be in a dangerous situation. □ These men were never told how they'd been put in harm's way.
9 PHRASE If someone or something is out of harm's way , they are in a safe place away from danger or from the possibility of being damaged. □ It is an easy way of keeping children entertained, or simply out of harm's way.
harm|ful /hɑː r mfʊl/ ADJ Something that is harmful has a bad effect on something else, especially on a person's health. □ …the harmful effects of smoking. □ [+ to ] It believed the affair was potentially harmful to British aviation.
harm|less /hɑː r mləs/
1 ADJ Something that is harmless does not have any bad effects, especially on people's health. □ Industry has been working at developing harmless substitutes for these gases. □ This experiment was harmless to the animals. ● harm|less|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Another missile exploded harmlessly outside the town.
2 ADJ If you describe someone or something as harmless , you mean that they are not important and therefore unlikely to annoy other people or cause trouble. □ He seemed harmless enough. □ I would not want to deny them a harmless pleasure. ● harm|less|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ It started harmlessly enough, with a statement from the Secretary of State for Social Security.
har|mon|ic /hɑː r mɒ n I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Harmonic means composed, played, or sung using two or more notes which sound right and pleasing together.
har|moni|ca /hɑː r mɒ n I kə/ (harmonicas ) N‑COUNT A harmonica is a small musical instrument. You play the harmonica by moving it across your lips and blowing and sucking air through it.
har|mo|ni|ous /hɑː r moʊ niəs/
1 ADJ A harmonious relationship, agreement, or discussion is friendly and peaceful. □ Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals. ● har|mo|ni|ous|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ To live together harmoniously as men and women is an achievement.
2 ADJ Something that is harmonious has parts which go well together and which are in proportion to each other. □ …a harmonious balance of mind, body, and spirit. ● har|mo|ni|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV after v] □ …a pure, harmoniously proportioned face. □ …stone paths that blend harmoniously with the scenery.
3 ADJ Musical notes that are harmonious produce a pleasant sound when played together. □ …the mysterious skill involved in producing harmonious sounds.
har|mo|nize /hɑː r məna I z/ (harmonizes , harmonizing , harmonized ) in BRIT, also use harmonise 1 VERB If two or more things harmonize with each other, they fit in well with each other. □ [V + with ] …slabs of pink and beige stone that harmonize with the carpet. □ [V ] Barbara White and her mother like to listen to music together, though their tastes don't harmonize.