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

China has begun choking off exports of rare earths and rare-earth magnets to Japan, a potential blow to Japanese companies that use them to produce components for global chip makers, car companies and defense firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

California is still a magnet for the ambitious entrepreneur, and the drafters of the initiative have tried to preserve its allure.

From Los Angeles Times

Otherwise, the system of conveyors, magnets, optical sorters and pneumatic blocks runs largely unmanned.

From The Wall Street Journal

The magnets are extremely powerful, Mumgaard said, the kind that could “lift an aircraft carrier.”

From The Wall Street Journal

With its lush landscape, distinctive "dragon blood" trees, unique animals and turquoise waters, Yemen's Socotra archipelago has been a magnet for adventurous travellers for years.

From Barron's