magnet-

¹ American  

1. variant of magneto- before some vowels.

   magneton.

---

magnet ² 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.

---

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

---

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

---

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.)

---

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 investigation is a blow for a bank that had worked hard in recent years to shed its reputation as a magnet for scandals, and CEO Christian Sewing sounded disappointed.

From Barron's

"I am trying to take him to visit as many countries as possible over the next year or two now and to see how many fridge magnets we can get from different countries," Tammy said.

From BBC

The government last year reached a $1.4bn deal with Vulcan Elements, a rare earth magnet start-up, to bolster the domestic rare earths supply chain.

From BBC

In November, Vulcan Elements received a $620 million Defense Department loan, alongside $50 million from the Commerce Department, in a deal to build and operate a U.S. magnet facility.

From The Wall Street Journal

The minerals are key components of magnets in products including smartphones, electric vehicles, and F-35 fighter jets.

From Barron's