a bag or other contrivance of strong thread or cord worked into an open, meshed fabric, for catching fish, birds, or other animals.
a butterfly net.
a piece of meshed fabric designed to serve a specific purpose, as to divide a court in racket games or protect against insects.
a tennis net; a mosquito net.
anything serving to catch or ensnare.
a police net to trap the bank robber.
a lacelike fabric with a uniform mesh of cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, etc., often forming the foundation of any of various laces.
(in tennis, badminton, etc.) a ball that hits the net.
Often nets. the goal in hockey or lacrosse.
any network or reticulated system of filaments, lines, veins, or the like.
Telecommunications. any network containing computers and telecommunications equipment.
Digital Technology. Sometimes Net internet (preceded by the, except when used before a noun).
An overwhelming majority of Americans now have access to the net at home or at work.
Mathematics. the abstraction, in topology, of a sequence; a map from a directed set to a given space.
Astronomy. Net, the constellation Reticulum.
Informal. a radio or television network.
to cover, screen, or enclose with a net or netting.
netting the bed to keep out mosquitoes.
to take with a net.
to net fish.
to set or use nets in (a river, stream, etc.), as for catching fish.
to catch or ensnare.
to net a dangerous criminal.
(in tennis, badminton, etc.) to hit (the ball) into the net.
remaining after deductions, as for charges or expenses (opposed to gross).
net earnings.
sold at a stated price with all parts and charges included and with all deductions having been made.
final; totally conclusive.
After all that work, what was the net result?
(of weight) after deduction of tare, tret, or both.
remaining after all deductions, as for taxes, expenses, losses, etc Compare gross
net profit
(of weight) after deducting tare
ultimate; final; conclusive (esp in the phrase net result )
an openwork fabric of string, rope, wire, etc; mesh
a device made of net, used to protect or enclose things or to trap animals
a thin light mesh fabric of cotton, nylon, or other fibre, used for curtains, dresses, etc
( as modifier )
net curtains
a plan, strategy, etc, intended to trap or ensnare
the murderer slipped through the police net
sport
a strip of net that divides the playing area into two equal parts
a shot that hits the net, whether or not it goes over
the goal in soccer, hockey, etc
(often plural) cricket
a pitch surrounded by netting, used for practice
a practice session in a net
informal short for internet
another word for network
(tr) to catch with or as if with a net; ensnare
(tr) to shelter or surround with a net
(intr) sport to score a goal
Rangers netted three times in seven minutes
to make a net out of (rope, string, etc)
(intr) to hit a shot into the net
What’s the difference between net and gross? In the context of finance and accounting, net refers to the final amount that remains after deductions have been made, while gross refers to the total amount before any deductions. Of course, net and gross are common words with many other meanings, but these senses of net and gross are used in the context of measuring something (especially money) that has been accumulated—profit, income, earnings, gains, etc. The amount described or referred to as gross is everything that has been taken in, not accounting for things like debts, deductions, and expenses. The amount described or referred to as net is how much you have left after you’ve subtracted anything that doesn’t count toward profit, like debts and expenses. In other words, net is basically gross minus whatever you owe or have spent. For this reason, net is always lower than gross. For example, let’s say you decide to sell cupcakes at a bake sale. You spend $15 on ingredients, and you have to rent a table for $5, which equals $20 in expenses. Good news, you make $50 in cupcake sales. Your gross is $50. Minus the $20 in expenses, your net is $30. You could say you grossed $50 and netted $30. To remember the difference, remember that a net sifts whatever goes into it so that only some remains. Here’s an example of net and gross used correctly in the same sentence. Example: For this quarter, gross income was $2 million, but $1. 25 million in expenses and outstanding debts resulted in a net of only $750,000. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between net and gross.
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English noun net(t); cognate with Dutch, Old Norse net, Gothic nati, German Netz; akin to Latin nōdus “knot”; verb derivative of the noun
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net, nette “worthy, good, after deductions”; see origin at neat 1
A net is a device, made of fabric or rope stitched together, used to catch things such as fish or butterflies. Net can also refer to profits. There are many nets, but two kinds have to do with catching things and making profit. The first net is like a fisherman's net: it's a type of meshing (meaning it has holes) made from rope or wire. This net is used to catch fish, and the holes allow the water to pour out. Also, someone's net worth is how much money they have. A net profit is a company’s earnings. A larger net means more money.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Per this 2025 Northwestern Mutual study, many American millionaires don’t feel as wealthy as their net worth suggests, and they seek out help.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
The net result may be to make markets more efficient, building an even more compelling case for low-cost index funds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The terms stipulate that Canada will make payments into a US economic development fund of the equivalent of 50 percent of net revenue generated by the bridge for a period of 15 years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The company also added 348,000 net broadband connections in the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
There were plenty of rabbits, chipmunks, and birds to try it on, but every time I poked the net out toward one of them, it would scare them half to death.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
That’s called strength of schedule, and advanced metrics such as KenPom, NET and Wins Above Bubble usually favor power conference schools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
Swaths of the internet were knocked offline Tuesday as a global outage for web security service Cloudflare NET -3.92%decrease; red down pointing triangle downed social-media sites, disrupted retail sales and stymied productivity and recruitment platforms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
Excess NET formation has been linked to serious inflammatory and clotting conditions, including severe infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2025
Jo Coton, chief executive of the NET Academies Trust, which runs Katherines, said staff were "thrilled" with the "beautiful" new building.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025
I’ve seen him launch it from thirty feet before, ALL NET.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
Even if the rental income netted $2,000 a month, that could be very helpful for someone on a modest income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The France forward netted 10 goals in eight games to edge out Lionel Messi in a high-quality race.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Last year’s event, held in honor of Mary Corse and Ryan Coogler, netted a record $6.5 million in support of the museum and its programs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Fontaine also netted against Brazil in a 5-2 semifinal defeat, but even being eliminated didn’t stop him from scoring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
I reckon he thinks they’d get him on the usury law if he netted more than eight percent.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
Of players to put their kick to their right, 73% have scored, with 71% netting when they go left and only 58% succeeding with a central kick.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The rooftop ceremony site wouldn’t let her swap out its flowers, for instance, so a crew laid metal netting over them and mounted hers on top.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Take swings like he did trading for Rui Hachimura or netting sharpshooter Luke Kennard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
Of those players to put their kick to the right, 72.4% have scored, with 71.1% netting when they go left - and only 61.6% succeeding with a central kick.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
It was just made of loose netting, so hardly waterproof.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
