web

[ web ]

noun

1. something formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving.
2. a thin, silken material spun by spiders and the larvae of some insects, as the webworms and tent caterpillars; cobweb.
3. Textiles.
   1. a woven fabric, especially a whole piece of cloth in the course of being woven or after it comes from the loom.
   2. the flat woven strip, without pile, often found at one or both ends of an Oriental rug.
4. something resembling woven material, especially something having an interlaced or latticelike appearance:

   He looked up at the web of branches of the old tree.

5. an intricate set or pattern of circumstances, facts, etc.:

   The thief was convicted by a web of evidence. Who can understand the web of life?

   Synonyms: snare, maze, tangle, tissue, network

6. something that snares or entangles; a trap:

   innocent travelers caught in the web of international terrorism.

7. webbing.
8. Zoology. a membrane that connects the digits of an animal, as the toes of aquatic birds.
9. Ornithology.
   1. the series of barbs on each side of the shaft of a feather.
   2. the series on both sides, collectively.
10. an integral or separate part of a beam, rail, truss, or the like, that forms a continuous, flat, narrow, rigid connection between two stronger, broader parallel parts, as the flanges of a structural shape, the head and foot of a rail, or the upper and lower chords of a truss.
11. Machinery. an arm of a crank, usually one of a pair, holding one end of a crankpin at its outer end.
12. Architecture. (in a vault) any surface framed by ribbing.
13. a large roll of paper, as for continuous feeding of a web press.
14. a network of interlinked stations, services, communications, etc., covering a region or country.
15. Informal. a network of radio or television broadcasting stations.
16. Sometimes Web. Digital Technology. World Wide Web (preceded by the, except when used before a noun).

verb (used with object)

, webbed, web·bing.

1. to cover with or as if with a web; envelop.
2. to ensnare or entrap.

verb (used without object)

, webbed, web·bing.

1. to make or form a web.

web

/ wɛb /

noun

1. any structure, construction, fabric, etc, formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving retiary
2. See cobweb
   a mesh of fine tough scleroprotein threads built by a spider from a liquid secreted from its spinnerets and used to trap insects See also cobweb
3. a similar network of threads spun by certain insect larvae, such as the silkworm
4. a fabric, esp one in the process of being woven
5. a membrane connecting the toes of some aquatic birds or the digits of such aquatic mammals as the otter
6. the vane of a bird's feather
7. architect the surface of a ribbed vault that lies between the ribs
8. the central section of an I-beam or H-beam that joins the two flanges of the beam
9. any web-shaped part of a casting used for reinforcement
10. the radial portion of a crank that connects the crankpin to the crankshaft
11. a thin piece of superfluous material left attached to a forging; fin
12. 1. a continuous strip of paper as formed on a paper machine or fed from a reel into some printing presses
    2. ( as modifier )

       a web press

       web offset

13. the woven edge, without pile, of some carpets
14. 1. the web often capital short for World Wide Web
    2. ( as modifier )

       web pages

       a web site

15. any structure, construction, etc, that is intricately formed or complex

    a web of intrigue

verb

1. tr to cover with or as if with a web
2. tr to entangle or ensnare
3. intr to construct a web

web

/ wĕb /

1. A structure of fine, elastic, threadlike filaments characteristically spun by spiders to catch insect prey. The larvae of certain insects also weave webs that serve as protective shelters for feeding and may include leaves or other plant parts.
2. A membrane or fold of skin connecting the toes in certain animals, especially ones that swim, such as water birds and otters. The web improves the ability of the foot to push against water.
3. The World Wide Web.

Web

1. See Internet .

Derived Forms

• ˈwebless, adjective
• ˈwebˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• webless adjective
• weblike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of web¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch, Low German webbe, Old Norse vefr; akin to weave

Word History and Origins

Origin of web¹

Old English webb; related to Old Saxon, Old High German webbi, Old Norse vefr

Example Sentences

Nothing specific is changing today with Google Search, but think about these changes in the long term and keep improving your web site.

From Search Engine Land

To collect its facts, Diffbot’s AI reads the web as a human would—but much faster.

From MIT Technology Review

Neither Google Analytics nor Facebook Connect are essential to run these web pages and are services that could have been replaced or at least deactivated by now.

From Fortune

The room is a two-dimensional, pixelated drawing displayed in a web browser.

From MIT Technology Review

A site on the dark web associated with the NetWalker ransomware group posted screenshots of internal network files and directories believed to be associated with Cygilant.

From TechCrunch

He was referring to web censorship behind the Great Firewall.

From The Daily Beast

With its vast web of resources and services, including its support groups, the Center has often helped save these people lives.

From The Daily Beast

How has your experience been shaped by digital encounters and the social web?

From The Daily Beast

The caller mentioned my work, which focused primarily on consumer products, mobile apps, emerging start-ups, and web trends.

From The Daily Beast

That leads us to wonder why galaxies and their black holes somehow “know” where they are in the cosmic web.

From The Daily Beast

It was no wonder that he felt quite at home in the duck-pond, which was made for web-footed folk.

From Project Gutenberg

"It is n't distressingly calm now," said the extra-strong frames—they were called web-frames—in the engine-room.

From Project Gutenberg

The touch of the soft fabric reassured him: it was as soft as though woven of spider's web, and strong as fibres of steel.

From Project Gutenberg

These threads in the web of industry, which had shone that day for the first time, were the lives of two little children.

From Project Gutenberg

At first girders had solid or plate webs, but for spans over 100 ft. the web always now consists of bracing bars.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• net
• network
• screen