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• web
  web

  noun

  something formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving.
• Web
  Web

  See Internet.

web

American  

[web] / wɛb /

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. Digital Technology. Sometimes Web World Wide Web (preceded by the, except when used before a noun).

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verb (used with object)

• webs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• webbed,
  past participle,  past
• webbing
  present participle

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

2. to ensnare or entrap.

verb (used without object)

• webs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• webbed,
  past participle,  past
• webbing
  present participle

1. to make or form a web.

web British  

/ wɛb /

noun

1. any structure, construction, fabric, etc, formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving

2. 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 )

       web offset

       a web press

13. the woven edge, without pile, of some carpets

14. 1. (often capital) short for World Wide Web

    2. ( as modifier )

       a web site

       web pages

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

    a web of intrigue

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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 Scientific  

/ 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.

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Web Cultural  

1. See Internet.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• webless
  adjective
• weblike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• webbing
  present
• webbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• web
  simple
• webs
  simple
• have webbed
  perfect
• has webbed
  perfect
• am webbing
  progressive
• are webbing
  progressive
• is webbing
  progressive
• have been webbing
  perfect progressive
• has been webbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• webbed
  simple
• had webbed
  perfect
• was webbing
  progressive
• were webbing
  progressive
• had been webbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will web
  simple
• will have webbed
  perfect
• will be webbing
  progressive
• will have been webbing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of web

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

Explanation

A web is a sticky pattern of threads woven by a spider, or something similar that appears to be woven together. Your little sister might weave a web of yarn into a potholder. Some webs are literally woven — of thread, yarn, ropes, or any other strands of material. Other webs are more figurative, like the web of connections between people who work in the same field or the web of rules and regulations attached to filing your income tax return. There's also the World Wide Web, known as the Internet or just "the Web," named this way because it's a web-like series of interconnected documents and links.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

web Web webs webbed webbing

He bestrode a web of personal connections that deeply influenced intellectual life in mid-19th-century America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The human brain contains close to 100 billion neurons, linked through an enormous web of connections.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Navigating the web of nearby structures, like active rail lines and historic bridges, is part of what makes the construction so complex, Metro says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

"I thee web" leads the Sun as it reports Tom Holland and Zendaya have married "again in secret £500k bash at UK hotel".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The spiders rustled and moved in the web.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Viewers can tune in through ESA Web TV or ESA's YouTube channel beginning at 1:30 p.m.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

The company reported 37% revenue growth in Amazon Web Services, the fastest growth rate in 18 quarters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

He wrote that Amazon Web Services is “coming through the capex digestion phase faster, and more profitably, than feared,” in a reference to how the company is translating its capital expenditures into financial opportunities.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Its revenue increased 20 percent to more than $200 billion in the second quarter, compared to last year, with its cloud business, Amazon Web Services, jumping 37 percent to reach $42.2 billion.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

I will be setting up a Web site where you may post letters on a computerized message board.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

He said he spent his childhood pulling the Spidey poses and shooting webs, and now being able to portray him is "the best feeling ever".

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

About the 10th or 12th time Spidey defeats a gaggle of adversaries by wrapping them up in webs, this series seems entangled in its own predictability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Peter’s only physical connection to humanity is via webs and fists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Oxygen loss can reduce or relocate their prey, damage habitats and alter the food webs they depend on.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

The walls of the chamber were still covered in webs.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

They also found a new "amphibious mouse", which has partially webbed feet and eats aquatic insects.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024

Back in the forest, a Wallace’s flying frog sprang from a tree—its spindly legs and webbed toes spread-eagle—seeming more bat than amphibian.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024

Their feet are adapted for powerful swimming, with every toe webbed.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2024

While tarantulas wait below with their eight eyes pointed skyward, trapdoor spiders build a webbed door and fling it open when the unsuspecting prey walks by.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

When they were solid she webbed them with hide, made loops for her toes, and put on her snowshoes.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

The local authority advised people not to be concerned about the "harmless" white webbing seen in trees in Belle Isle Park, Exeter, caused by an infestation of caterpillars.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

In the next at-bat, they took their first lead when a two-hopper from Gavin Lux went through — literally — the webbing of the glove of Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2024

Many spiders use their webbing to create balloons or parachutes that allow them to float away — sometimes traveling many miles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

Appropriately for the season, the clumps of real webbing look very similar to the fake webbing used in Halloween decorations.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

It happened now and then to fishermen—they caught a hand or a sleeve in their net webbing and went over even in calm weather.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Related Words

• net
• network
• screen