net

[ net ]

/ nɛt /

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noun

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.

Sometimes Net .Digital Technology. 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.

Net, Astronomy. the constellation Reticulum.

Informal. a radio or television network.

verb (used with object), net·ted, net·ting.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR net

15 seize, capture, trap.

See synonyms for net on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of net

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

OTHER WORDS FROM net

net·ta·ble, adjectivenetlike, adjective

Other definitions for net (2 of 3)

net²

[ net ]

/ nɛt /

adjective

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.

noun

net income, profit, or the like.

verb (used with object), net·ted, net·ting.

to gain or produce as clear profit.

Origin of net

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net, nette “worthy, good, after deductions”; see origin at neat¹

OTHER WORDS FROM net

net·ta·ble, adjective

Other definitions for net (3 of 3)

NET

National Educational Television.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use net in a sentence

During the first three quarters of 2019, Wish posted net losses of just $5 million, before some preferred stock costs pushed its total deficit to $12 million.
Wish files to go public with 100M monthly actives, $1.75B in 2020 revenue thus far|Alex Wilhelm|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
The new people with high net worth, they look and feel and speak and act and think way differently than the boomer generation.
The biggest risks and opportunities for investors in 2021|matthewheimer|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Additionally, as of the first quarter of 2020, net advertising revenue decreased by more than 54% year-over-year.
‘A start-up again’: New Quartz owner Zach Seward’s plan for longevity includes revenue innovation and reader support|Kayleigh Barber|November 20, 2020|Digiday
So far, research suggests that pee-cycling does indeed have a net environmental benefit compared to current conventional wastewater and fertilizer systems.
Your pee could be the golden ticket to a greener world|Ula Chrobak|November 19, 2020|Popular-Science

For the third quarter, Affirm had a net loss of $15 million on revenue of $174 million, compared with a loss of $31 million on revenue of $88 million during the same period in 2019, according to its filing.
Online lender Affirm joins year-end rush for IPOs|Verne Kopytoff|November 19, 2020|Fortune
South Korean police busted up one such scheme in 2011, which was said to have netted millions.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meet the psychics preying on the elderly with a mail-order moneymaking gig that netted them millions a year.
The Multimillion ‘Clairvoyance by Mail’ Scam|Jacob Siegel|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Overall, the Indiegogo campaign netted over $41,000, and since people kept donating after it ended, reached about $50,000 total.
‘Dear White People’: How An Ex-Publicist’s Twitter Became One of the Year’s Most Important Films|Marlow Stern|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Normally it is not netted into the national air defense system,” Zaloga said.
The Missile That Likely Shot Down MH17|Chris Allbritton, Dave Majumdar|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
CSI not only aided a not-guilty verdict, but netted Dr. Phil an admirer.
It’s Time to Turn Off TV Doctors|April Siese|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It netted Scattergood a pleasant profit, and Kent got the full equivalent of his money.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
Beyond the arches, netted to keep the crows away, it made pictures with the tops of the trees.
Hilda|Sarah Jeanette Duncan
You made your choice, and the victim was netted by a white-clad boy and flopped over the counter to the scales.
Paris Vistas|Helen Davenport Gibbons
Moreover, the dear boys tied her to her girlhood, and netted her fleeting youth for the moth-box.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith
Howells adds that the show netted seventeen hundred dollars.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for net (1 of 3)

net¹

/ (nɛt) /

noun

an openwork fabric of string, rope, wire, etc; meshRelated adjective: retiary

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 ensnarethe 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 (def. 2)

verb nets, netting or netted

(tr) to catch with or as if with a net; ensnare

(tr) to shelter or surround with a net

(intr) sport to score a goalRangers netted three times in seven minutes

to make a net out of (rope, string, etc)

(intr) to hit a shot into the net

Word Origin for net

Old English net; related to Gothic nati, Dutch net

British Dictionary definitions for net (2 of 3)

net²

nett

/ (nɛt) /

adjective

remaining after all deductions, as for taxes, expenses, losses, etcnet profit Compare gross (def. 2)

(of weight) after deducting tare

ultimate; final; conclusive (esp in the phrase net result)

noun

net income, profits, weight, etc

verb nets, netting or netted

(tr) to yield or earn as clear profit

Word Origin for net

C14: clean, neat, from French net neat 1; related to Dutch net, German nett

British Dictionary definitions for net (3 of 3)

net³

the internet domain name for

a company or organization

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for net

net

What remains after all deductions have been made. (Compare gross.)

net

OTHER WORDS FOR net

Origin of net

OTHER WORDS FROM net

Other definitions for net (2 of 3)

Origin of net

OTHER WORDS FROM net

Other definitions for net (3 of 3)

Words related to net

How to use net in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for net (1 of 3)

Word Origin for net

British Dictionary definitions for net (2 of 3)

nett

Word Origin for net

British Dictionary definitions for net (3 of 3)

Cultural definitions for net