mesh

American  

[mesh] / mɛʃ /

noun

meshes plural

1. any knit, woven, or knotted fabric of open texture.

2. an interwoven or intertwined structure; network.

   Synonyms:

   grid, screen, grill, netting, web

3. any arrangement of interlocking metal links or wires with evenly spaced, uniform small openings between, as used in jewelry or sieves.

4. one of the open spaces between the cords or ropes of a net.

5. meshes,

   1. the threads that bind such spaces.

   2. the means of catching or holding fast.

      to be caught in the meshes of the law.

6. Machinery. the engagement of gear teeth.

7. Electricity. a set of branches that forms a closed path in a network so that removal of a branch results in an open path.

8. Metallurgy. a designation of a given fineness of powder used in powder metallurgy in terms of the number of the finest screen through which almost all the particles will pass.

   This powder is 200 mesh.

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verb (used with object)

meshes, present (3rd person singular) meshed, past participle, past meshing present participle

1. to catch or entangle in or as if in a net; enmesh.

2. to form with meshes, as a net.

3. Machinery. to engage, as gear teeth.

4. to cause to match, coordinate, or interlock.

   They tried to mesh their vacation plans.

verb (used without object)

meshes, present (3rd person singular) meshed, past participle, past meshing present participle

1. to become enmeshed.

2. Machinery. to become or be engaged, as the teeth of one gear with those of another.

3. to match, coordinate, or interlock.

   The two versions of the story don't mesh.

mesh British  

/ mɛʃ /

noun

1. a network; net

2. an open space between the strands of a network

3. (often plural) the strands surrounding these spaces

4. anything that ensnares, or holds like a net

   the mesh of the secret police

5. the engagement of teeth on interacting gearwheels

   the gears are in mesh

6. a measure of spacing of the strands of a mesh or grid, expressed as the distance between strands for coarse meshes or a number of strands per unit length for fine meshes

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verb

1. to entangle or become entangled

2. (of gear teeth) to engage or cause to engage

3. to coordinate (with)

   to mesh with a policy

4. to work or cause to work in harmony

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mismesh
  verb
• meshy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• meshes
  plural

Participles

• meshing
  present
• meshed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mesh
  simple
• meshes
  simple
• have meshed
  perfect
• has meshed
  perfect
• am meshing
  progressive
• are meshing
  progressive
• is meshing
  progressive
• have been meshing
  perfect progressive
• has been meshing
  perfect progressive

Past

• meshed
  simple
• had meshed
  perfect
• was meshing
  progressive
• were meshing
  progressive
• had been meshing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mesh
  simple
• will have meshed
  perfect
• will be meshing
  progressive
• will have been meshing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mesh

1375–1425; late Middle English mesch, apparently continuing Old English masc, max; akin to Old High German māsca, Middle Dutch maesche

Explanation

Use the word mesh for fabric made of loosely woven fibers. A butterfly net is made of mesh, and so is a window screen. Some mesh is made from string or fabric, like a fishing net or a mesh sports jersey, while other mesh is metal or plastic, like a tea strainer. In either case, it's woven loosely enough that there are small holes throughout its surface. Another meaning of mesh is "harmonize" or "work well together." In the fourteenth century, it was spelled mesche, and it meant "open space in a net," from the Old English word for net, max.

Example Sentences

By early June, the blue stalls selling flowers, peaches, tomatoes and strawberries were open again, separated by a thin green mesh from the ruins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

Most importantly, on the field, the pair mesh well.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

Satellites with advanced sensors will sweep through airspace to pick up information that traditional airborne radars can’t read, then beam the data through a laser-linked orbital mesh network directly to meet warfighter needs.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

He has also increasingly mocked the protests, recently posting an AI-generated video in which he is dressed in a faux-leather skirt and a mesh top, mimicking an influencer counting demonstrators.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Gandy had gotten his feet and head through the mesh in the net and the rest of him was so tangled up in the cord that I couldn’t dump him out.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• coincide
• combine
• coordinate
• dovetail
• fit
• harmonize
• knit