web

[ web ]

/ wɛb /

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See synonyms for: web / webbed / webbing on Thesaurus.com

noun

something formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving.

a thin, silken material spun by spiders and the larvae of some insects, as the webworms and tent caterpillars; cobweb.

Textiles.

a woven fabric, especially a whole piece of cloth in the course of being woven or after it comes from the loom.
the flat woven strip, without pile, often found at one or both ends of an Oriental rug.

something resembling woven material, especially something having an interlaced or latticelike appearance: He looked up at the web of branches of the old tree.

an intricate set or pattern of circumstances, facts, etc.: The thief was convicted by a web of evidence. Who can understand the web of life?

something that snares or entangles; a trap: innocent travelers caught in the web of international terrorism.

webbing.

Zoology. a membrane that connects the digits of an animal, as the toes of aquatic birds.

Ornithology.

the series of barbs on each side of the shaft of a feather.
the series on both sides, collectively.

an integral or separate part of a beam, rail, truss, or the like, that forms a continuous, flat, narrow, rigid connection between two stronger, broader parallel parts, as the flanges of a structural shape, the head and foot of a rail, or the upper and lower chords of a truss.

Machinery. an arm of a crank, usually one of a pair, holding one end of a crankpin at its outer end.

Architecture. (in a vault) any surface framed by ribbing.

a large roll of paper, as for continuous feeding of a web press.

a network of interlinked stations, services, communications, etc., covering a region or country.

Informal. a network of radio or television broadcasting stations.

Sometimes Web .Digital Technology. World Wide Web (preceded by the, except when used before a noun).

verb (used with object), webbed, web·bing.

to cover with or as if with a web; envelop.

to ensnare or entrap.

verb (used without object), webbed, web·bing.

to make or form a web.

OTHER WORDS FOR web

1 network.

5 tissue, tangle, maze.

6 snare.

See synonyms for web on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of web

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch, Low German webbe, Old Norse vefr; akin to weave

historical usage of web

16. See internet

OTHER WORDS FROM web

webless, adjectiveweblike, adjective

Words nearby web

weave bead, weave in and out, weaver, weaverbird, weaver's hitch, web, Web 2.0, web address, webapp, Webb, web-based

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

How to use web in a sentence

Nothing specific is changing today with Google Search, but think about these changes in the long term and keep improving your web site.
Google now uses BERT to match stories with fact checks|Barry Schwartz|September 10, 2020|Search Engine Land
To collect its facts, Diffbot’s AI reads the web as a human would—but much faster.
This know-it-all AI learns by reading the entire web nonstop|Will Heaven|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Neither Google Analytics nor Facebook Connect are essential to run these web pages and are services that could have been replaced or at least deactivated by now.
Europe’s privacy regulators form task force to tackle complaints about Google and Facebook code|David Meyer|September 4, 2020|Fortune
The room is a two-dimensional, pixelated drawing displayed in a web browser.
Create your own moody quarantine music with Google’s AI|Karen Hao|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review

A site on the dark web associated with the NetWalker ransomware group posted screenshots of internal network files and directories believed to be associated with Cygilant.
Cyber threat startup Cygilant hit by ransomware|Zack Whittaker|September 3, 2020|TechCrunch
He was referring to web censorship behind the Great Firewall.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With its vast web of resources and services, including its support groups, the Center has often helped save these people lives.
The LGBT Center That Changed Our Lives|Justin Jones|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How has your experience been shaped by digital encounters and the social web?
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting|Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The caller mentioned my work, which focused primarily on consumer products, mobile apps, emerging start-ups, and web trends.
A Female Writer’s New Milestone: Her First Death Threat|Annie Gaus|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That leads us to wonder why galaxies and their black holes somehow “know” where they are in the cosmic web.
The Black Hole Tango|Matthew R. Francis|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was no wonder that he felt quite at home in the duck-pond, which was made for web-footed folk.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
"It is n't distressingly calm now," said the extra-strong frames—they were called web-frames—in the engine-room.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
The touch of the soft fabric reassured him: it was as soft as though woven of spider's web, and strong as fibres of steel.
Astounding Stories, May, 1931|Various
These threads in the web of industry, which had shone that day for the first time, were the lives of two little children.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh
At first girders had solid or plate webs, but for spans over 100 ft. the web always now consists of bracing bars.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for web

web

/ (wɛb) /

noun

any structure, construction, fabric, etc, formed by or as if by weaving or interweavingRelated adjective: retiary

a mesh of fine tough scleroprotein threads built by a spider from a liquid secreted from its spinnerets and used to trap insectsSee also cobweb (def. 1)

a similar network of threads spun by certain insect larvae, such as the silkworm

a fabric, esp one in the process of being woven

a membrane connecting the toes of some aquatic birds or the digits of such aquatic mammals as the otter

the vane of a bird's feather

architect the surface of a ribbed vault that lies between the ribs

the central section of an I-beam or H-beam that joins the two flanges of the beam

any web-shaped part of a casting used for reinforcement

the radial portion of a crank that connects the crankpin to the crankshaft

a thin piece of superfluous material left attached to a forging; fin

a continuous strip of paper as formed on a paper machine or fed from a reel into some printing presses
(as modifier)web offset; a web press

the woven edge, without pile, of some carpets

the web (often capital) short for World Wide Web
(as modifier)a web site; web pages

any structure, construction, etc, that is intricately formed or complexa web of intrigue

verb webs, webbing or webbed

(tr) to cover with or as if with a web

(tr) to entangle or ensnare

(intr) to construct a web

Derived forms of web

webless, adjectiveweblike, adjective

Word Origin for web

Old English webb; related to Old Saxon, Old High German webbi, Old Norse vefr

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

Scientific definitions for web

web

[ wĕb ]

A structure of fine, elastic, threadlike filaments characteristically spun by spiders to catch insect prey. The larvae of certain insects also weave webs that serve as protective shelters for feeding and may include leaves or other plant parts.

A membrane or fold of skin connecting the toes in certain animals, especially ones that swim, such as water birds and otters. The web improves the ability of the foot to push against water.

also Web The World Wide Web.

Cultural definitions for web

Web

See Internet.