net

¹

[ net ]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. anything serving to catch or ensnare:

   a police net to trap the bank robber.

4. a lacelike fabric with a uniform mesh of cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, etc., often forming the foundation of any of various laces.
5. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) a ball that hits the net.
6. Often nets. the goal in hockey or lacrosse.
7. any network or reticulated system of filaments, lines, veins, or the like.
8. Telecommunications. any network containing computers and telecommunications equipment.
9. 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.

10. Mathematics. the abstraction, in topology, of a sequence; a map from a directed set to a given space.
11. Net, Astronomy. the constellation Reticulum.
12. Informal. a radio or television network.

verb (used with object)

, net·ted, net·ting.

1. to cover, screen, or enclose with a net or netting:

   netting the bed to keep out mosquitoes.

2. to take with a net:

   to net fish.

3. to set or use nets in (a river, stream, etc.), as for catching fish.

   Synonyms: trap, capture, seize

4. to catch or ensnare:

   to net a dangerous criminal.

5. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) to hit (the ball) into the net.

net

²

[ net ]

adjective

1. remaining after deductions, as for charges or expenses ( gross ):

   net earnings.

2. sold at a stated price with all parts and charges included and with all deductions having been made.
3. final; totally conclusive:

   After all that work, what was the net result?

4. (of weight) after deduction of tare, tret, or both.

noun

1. net income, profit, or the like.

verb (used with object)

, net·ted, net·ting.

1. to gain or produce as clear profit.

NET

³

1. National Educational Television.

net

¹

/ nɛt /

noun

1. an openwork fabric of string, rope, wire, etc; mesh retiary
2. a device made of net, used to protect or enclose things or to trap animals
3. 1. a thin light mesh fabric of cotton, nylon, or other fibre, used for curtains, dresses, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      net curtains

4. a plan, strategy, etc, intended to trap or ensnare

   the murderer slipped through the police net

5. sport
   1. a strip of net that divides the playing area into two equal parts
   2. a shot that hits the net, whether or not it goes over
6. the goal in soccer, hockey, etc
7. often plural cricket
   1. a pitch surrounded by netting, used for practice
   2. a practice session in a net
8. informal.
   short for internet
9. another word for network

verb

1. tr to catch with or as if with a net; ensnare
2. tr to shelter or surround with a net
3. intr sport to score a goal

   Rangers netted three times in seven minutes

4. to make a net out of (rope, string, etc)
5. intr to hit a shot into the net

net

²

/ nɛt /

adjective

1. remaining after all deductions, as for taxes, expenses, losses, etc Compare gross

   net profit

2. (of weight) after deducting tare
3. ultimate; final; conclusive (esp in the phrase net result )

noun

1. net income, profits, weight, etc

verb

1. tr to yield or earn as clear profit

net

³

the internet domain name for

1. a company or organization

net

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

Other Words From

• netta·ble adjective
• netlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of net¹

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

Origin of net²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net, nette “worthy, good, after deductions”; neat ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of net¹

Old English net; related to Gothic nati, Dutch net

Origin of net²

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

Example Sentences

Americans would never change their habits of consumption, he asserted, but new immigrants would only consume more, rising to this country’s standard of living and expanding the net environmental burden on the world.

From Salon

Elon Musk is easily the world’s wealthiest man, with a net worth topping $300 billion.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump and some other legal minds in his orbit have suggested Trump should go after those prosecutors who have targeted him and his companies — including Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has pursued criminal cases against Trump for his incitement of the Jan. 6 insurrection and his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort; and Letitia “Tish” James, the New York attorney general who won a massive fraud judgment against Trump for inflating his net worth to win preferable insurance and loan terms.

From Los Angeles Times

Last month, a decision at the Court of Appeal broadened the net of those who could receive compensation, potentially increasing the lenders' final bill to billions of pounds.

From BBC

Actually, indulge me one last time as I note Scott’s response to that question in a recent interview: “Dude, if you can build a Colosseum, you can flood it with f— water. Are you joking? And to get a couple of sharks in a net from the sea, are you kidding? Of course they can.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accumulate
• bring in
• earn
• reap