mesh
Americannoun
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meshes
plural
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any knit, woven, or knotted fabric of open texture.
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an interwoven or intertwined structure; network.
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any arrangement of interlocking metal links or wires with evenly spaced, uniform small openings between, as used in jewelry or sieves.
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one of the open spaces between the cords or ropes of a net.
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meshes,
-
the threads that bind such spaces.
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the means of catching or holding fast.
to be caught in the meshes of the law.
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Machinery. the engagement of gear teeth.
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Electricity. a set of branches that forms a closed path in a network so that removal of a branch results in an open path.
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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.
verb (used with object)
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meshes,
present (3rd person singular)
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meshed,
past participle, past
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meshing
present participle
-
to catch or entangle in or as if in a net; enmesh.
-
to form with meshes, as a net.
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Machinery. to engage, as gear teeth.
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to cause to match, coordinate, or interlock.
They tried to mesh their vacation plans.
verb (used without object)
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meshes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
meshed,
past participle, past
-
meshing
present participle
-
to become enmeshed.
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Machinery. to become or be engaged, as the teeth of one gear with those of another.
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to match, coordinate, or interlock.
The two versions of the story don't mesh.
noun
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a network; net
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an open space between the strands of a network
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(often plural) the strands surrounding these spaces
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anything that ensnares, or holds like a net
the mesh of the secret police
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the engagement of teeth on interacting gearwheels
the gears are in mesh
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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
verb
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to entangle or become entangled
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(of gear teeth) to engage or cause to engage
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to coordinate (with)
to mesh with a policy
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to work or cause to work in harmony
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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meshsimple
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meshessimple
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have meshedperfect
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has meshedperfect
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am meshingprogressive
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are meshingprogressive
-
is meshingprogressive
-
have been meshingperfect progressive
-
has been meshingperfect progressive
Past
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meshedsimple
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had meshedperfect
-
was meshingprogressive
-
were meshingprogressive
-
had been meshingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing mesh
Bunnicula
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Ground Zero
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"Efrén Divided" by Ernesto Cisneros, Chapters 12–19
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Scattered along the walls of the studio were tidy heaps of scarves and mesh, rainbows of stripes, every shade of ballet pink, Uggs of every height.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Also, they have been using so-called mesh networking technology, which is harder to jam and makes it possible to relay radio signals from drone to drone, thus allowing them to cover longer distances.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
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
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 sported a light beard and a mesh cap with the hardware store name on the front.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
Netting and wire meshes around infrastructure can be useful against drones, and hardened shelters can help protect resources that have to be on the surface, such as aircraft, fuel, personnel and equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Feel really good about the talent base we have in place, not just on field but also how the group meshes together,” Friedman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
This arc never fully meshes with the rest of the show, and it plays out mostly in terse phone calls.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2024
The simpler fabrication technique also meshes better with standard manufacturing processes and reduces the overall energy use, which lowers its carbon dioxide emissions.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2024
“You’ve been lying out on the meshes, and they’re dreadful aguish. Rheumatic too.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
If Elvis is being meshed with cricket, there is a decent chance Andrew Flintoff has something to do with it.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2024
The group never quite meshed under Vogel, finishing last season with a 49-33 record before getting swept by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
Its fantastical re-creations of Victorian London, Lisbon, Alexandria and Paris meshed with the progression of lead character Bella Baxter’s journey, informing and delighting each step of the way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
Steve Jordan, who was Watts’s personal pick to take over, meshed well with the group’s live energy, though.
From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
She was caressing my cornrows; she liked to do that, to trace the way strands of hair from different parts of my scalp meshed and held together.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The company, however, is already thinking of that with laser meshing technology and wireless spectrum acquisitions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
These things go in cycles and a 'Super Bowl window' is often mentioned as the perfect combination of established stars on manageable contracts combined with star draft picks all meshing at the right time.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2025
“I could feel my contributions really meshing into his vision.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
At some point, the House and Senate versions of all 12 bills will have to be reconciled, and meshing them will be difficult given the deep differences.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
I could almost hear the gears meshing in my brother’s head.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
