magnet

¹ American  

[mag-nit] / ˈmæg nɪt /

noun

1. a body, as a piece of iron or steel, that possesses the property of attracting certain substances, as iron.

2. a lodestone.

3. a thing or person that attracts.

   The park was a magnet for pickpockets and muggers.

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magnet- ² American  

1. variant of magneto- before some vowels.

   magneton.

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magnet British  

/ ˈmæɡnɪt /

noun

1. a body that can attract certain substances, such as iron or steel, as a result of a magnetic field; a piece of ferromagnetic substance See also electromagnet

2. a person or thing that exerts a great attraction

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magnet Scientific  

/ măg′nĭt /

1. A material or object that produces a magnetic field. Lodestones are natural magnets, though many materials, especially metals, can be made into magnets by exposing them to a magnetic field.

2. See also electromagnet ferromagnetism magnetic pole See Note at magnetism

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magnet Cultural  

1. An object that attracts iron and some other materials. Magnets are said to generate a magnetic field around themselves. Every magnet has two poles, called the north and south poles. Magnetic poles exert forces on each other in such a way that like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other. A compass is a small magnet that is affected by the magnetic field of the Earth in such a way that it points to a magnetic pole of the Earth. (See magnetic field and magnetism.)

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Other Word Forms

• countermagnet noun

Etymology

Origin of magnet

1400–50; late Middle English magnete < Latin magnēta < Greek mágnēta, accusative of mágnēs, short for ( hē ) Mágnēs ( líthos ) (the stone) of Magnesia

Example Sentences

The iPhone maker is committing billions to suppliers that make glass for devices in Kentucky, recycle rare-earth magnets in California and build silicon components in Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal

For many Californians in Puerto Vallarta, a tourist magnet widely known as one of the safest cities in Mexico, the experience was jolting.

From Los Angeles Times

"I was attracted to the Sahara like a magnet once I set foot there 30 years ago," Sereno said.

From Science Daily

Nowhere is the appearance of favoritism more glaring than in the case of Vulcan Elements, a North Carolina-based rare-earth magnet startup.

From The Wall Street Journal

After Pumphrey in recent years helped turn the warehousing hub of Douglas County into a magnet for data centers, he saw a surge in pleas for advice from local officials elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal