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• web
  web

  noun

  something formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving.
• Web
  Web

  See Internet.

web

American  

[web] / wɛb /

noun

1. something formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving.

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

3. Textiles.

   1. a woven fabric, especially a whole piece of cloth in the course of being woven or after it comes from the loom.

   2. the flat woven strip, without pile, often found at one or both ends of an Oriental rug.

4. something resembling woven material, especially something having an interlaced or latticelike appearance.

   He looked up at the web of branches of the old tree.

5. 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?

   Synonyms:

   snare, maze, tangle, tissue, network

6. something that snares or entangles; a trap.

   innocent travelers caught in the web of international terrorism.

7. webbing.

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

9. Ornithology.

   1. the series of barbs on each side of the shaft of a feather.

   2. the series on both sides, collectively.

10. 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.

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

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

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

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

15. Informal. a network of radio or television broadcasting stations.

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

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verb (used with object)

webbed, webbing

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

2. to ensnare or entrap.

verb (used without object)

webbed, webbing

1. to make or form a web.

web British  

/ wɛb /

noun

1. any structure, construction, fabric, etc, formed by or as if by weaving or interweaving

2. a mesh of fine tough scleroprotein threads built by a spider from a liquid secreted from its spinnerets and used to trap insects See also cobweb

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

4. a fabric, esp one in the process of being woven

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

6. the vane of a bird's feather

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

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

9. any web-shaped part of a casting used for reinforcement

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

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

12. 1. a continuous strip of paper as formed on a paper machine or fed from a reel into some printing presses

    2. ( as modifier )

       web offset

       a web press

13. the woven edge, without pile, of some carpets

14. 1. (often capital) short for World Wide Web

    2. ( as modifier )

       a web site

       web pages

15. any structure, construction, etc, that is intricately formed or complex

    a web of intrigue

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verb

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

2. (tr) to entangle or ensnare

3. (intr) to construct a web

web Scientific  

/ wĕb /

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. The World Wide Web.

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Web Cultural  

1. See Internet.

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Other Word Forms

• webless
  adjective
• weblike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of web

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

Explanation

A web is a sticky pattern of threads woven by a spider, or something similar that appears to be woven together. Your little sister might weave a web of yarn into a potholder. Some webs are literally woven — of thread, yarn, ropes, or any other strands of material. Other webs are more figurative, like the web of connections between people who work in the same field or the web of rules and regulations attached to filing your income tax return. There's also the World Wide Web, known as the Internet or just "the Web," named this way because it's a web-like series of interconnected documents and links.

Example Sentences

"Nudibranchs are one of the key players in the marine food web," the research team explained.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

Solution manuals have long been online, and any number of web sites have enabled students to cheat on assigned homework.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

"So the octopus puts its dark-coloured web over the prey item, keeping itself safe."

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

His parents, in the aftermath, said that he was caught up in a web of online hate, and the tragic events came after repeated voluntary trips to rehabilitation treatment centers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

For someone who would eventually become so completely tangled in a web of espionage intrigue, Bentley entered her adult years alone, a solitary figure looking for companionship and community.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• net
• network
• screen