reap

 
Pronunciation: /riːp/

verb

[with object]
  • cut or gather (a crop or harvest): many men were employed to reap the harvest figurative in terms of science, the Apollo programme reaped a meagre harvest
  • harvest the crop from (a piece of land): farmers agreed to continue reaping the land by traditional means
  • receive (something, especially something beneficial) as a consequence of one’s own or another’s actions: the company is poised to reap the benefits of this investment

Phrases

reap the harvest (or fruits) of

suffer the results or consequences of: we are now reaping the harvest of our permissive ways

you reap what you sow

proverb you eventually have to face up to the consequences of your actions.

Origin:

Old English ripan, reopan, of unknown origin