net

1
[ net ]
See synonyms for net on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a bag or other contrivance of strong thread or cord worked into an open, meshed fabric, for catching fish, birds, or other animals: a butterfly net.

  2. a piece of meshed fabric designed to serve a specific purpose, as to divide a court in racket games or protect against insects: a tennis net; a mosquito net.

  1. anything serving to catch or ensnare: a police net to trap the bank robber.

  2. a lacelike fabric with a uniform mesh of cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, etc., often forming the foundation of any of various laces.

  3. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) a ball that hits the net.

  4. Often nets. the goal in hockey or lacrosse.

  5. any network or reticulated system of filaments, lines, veins, or the like.

  6. Telecommunications. any network containing computers and telecommunications equipment.

  7. Sometimes Net .Digital Technology. internet (preceded by the, except when used before a noun): An overwhelming majority of Americans now have access to the net at home or at work.

  8. Mathematics. the abstraction, in topology, of a sequence; a map from a directed set to a given space.

  9. Net, Astronomy. the constellation Reticulum.

  10. Informal. a radio or television network.

verb (used with object),net·ted, net·ting.
  1. to cover, screen, or enclose with a net or netting: netting the bed to keep out mosquitoes.

  2. to take with a net: to net fish.

  1. to set or use nets in (a river, stream, etc.), as for catching fish.

  2. to catch or ensnare: to net a dangerous criminal.

  3. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) to hit (the ball) into the net.

Origin of net

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English noun net(t); cognate with Dutch, Old Norse net, Gothic nati, German Netz; akin to Latin nōdus “knot”; verb derivative of the noun

Other words for net

Other words from net

  • net·ta·ble, adjective
  • netlike, adjective

Words Nearby net

Other definitions for net (2 of 3)

net2
[ net ]

adjective
  1. remaining after deductions, as for charges or expenses (opposed to gross): net earnings.

  2. sold at a stated price with all parts and charges included and with all deductions having been made.

  1. final; totally conclusive: After all that work, what was the net result?

  2. (of weight) after deduction of tare, tret, or both.

noun
  1. net income, profit, or the like.

verb (used with object),net·ted, net·ting.
  1. to gain or produce as clear profit.

Origin of net

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net, nette “worthy, good, after deductions”; see origin at neat1

Other words from net

  • net·ta·ble, adjective

Other definitions for NET (3 of 3)

NET

  1. National Educational Television.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use net in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for net (1 of 3)

net1

/ (nɛt) /


noun
  1. an openwork fabric of string, rope, wire, etc; mesh: Related adjective: retiary

  2. a device made of net, used to protect or enclose things or to trap animals

    • a thin light mesh fabric of cotton, nylon, or other fibre, used for curtains, dresses, etc

    • (as modifier): net curtains

  1. a plan, strategy, etc, intended to trap or ensnare: the murderer slipped through the police net

  2. sport

    • a strip of net that divides the playing area into two equal parts

    • a shot that hits the net, whether or not it goes over

  3. the goal in soccer, hockey, etc

  4. (often plural) cricket

    • a pitch surrounded by netting, used for practice

    • a practice session in a net

  5. informal short for internet

  6. another word for network (def. 2)

verbnets, netting or netted
  1. (tr) to catch with or as if with a net; ensnare

  2. (tr) to shelter or surround with a net

  1. (intr) sport to score a goal: Rangers netted three times in seven minutes

  2. to make a net out of (rope, string, etc)

  3. (intr) to hit a shot into the net

Origin of net

1
Old English net; related to Gothic nati, Dutch net

British Dictionary definitions for net (2 of 3)

net2

nett

/ (nɛt) /


adjective
  1. remaining after all deductions, as for taxes, expenses, losses, etc: net profit Compare gross (def. 2)

  2. (of weight) after deducting tare

  1. ultimate; final; conclusive (esp in the phrase net result)

noun
  1. net income, profits, weight, etc

verbnets, netting or netted
  1. (tr) to yield or earn as clear profit

Origin of net

2
C14: clean, neat, from French net neat 1; related to Dutch net, German nett

British Dictionary definitions for net (3 of 3)

net3

the internet domain name for
  1. a company or organization

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for net

net

What remains after all deductions have been made. (Compare gross.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.