What does "net" mean?
A mesh of string, cord or rope.
Net
/nɛt/ adj, adv, intj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang
adj, adv, intj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mesh of string, cord or rope.
- Grammar: net is listed as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: network, mesh, earnings, profit.
- Useful contrasts: gross, gross details, grossest.
- Usage evidence: I captured butterflies with a net.
How to use "net"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "net" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "net" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "net" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "net" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "net" is acting as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "network" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "net", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mesh of string, cord or rope.
"a hairnet; a mosquito net; a tennis net"
- 2 The amount remaining after expenses or other kinds of deductions are subtracted.
"Our net on that transaction was only fourteen dollars."
- 3 Acronym of neutrophil extracellular trap. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 4 a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange wordnet
- 5 A device made from such mesh, used for catching fish, butterflies, etc.
"Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 an open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals wordnet
- 7 A device made from such mesh, generally used for trapping something.
"The nets have to be checked to make sure that they are not tangled up and therefore useless, and the carcasses of the dead sharks are removed."
- 8 a trap made of netting to catch fish or birds or insects wordnet
- 9 Anything that has the appearance of such a device.
"Petri net"
- 10 game equipment consisting of a strip of netting dividing the playing area in tennis or badminton wordnet
- 11 A trap. broadly
"A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet."
- 12 a goal lined with netting (as in soccer or hockey) wordnet
- 13 Any set of polygons joined edge to edge that, when folded along the edges between adjoining polygons so that the outer edges touch, form a given polyhedron.
- 14 the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses) wordnet
- 15 A system that interconnects a number of users, locations etc. allowing transport or communication between them.
- 16 A system that interconnects a number of users, locations etc. allowing transport or communication between them.; A conductor that interconnects two or more component terminals.
- 17 A framework backed by a mesh, serving as the goal in hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.
"Wigan had N'Zogbia sent off late on but Squillaci headed into his own net to give the home side a deserved point."
- 18 A mesh stretched to divide the court in tennis, badminton, volleyball, etc.
- 19 The area of the court close to the net (mesh stretched to divide the court). broadly
Verb
- 1 To catch by means of a net. transitive
- 2 To receive as profit. transitive
"The company nets $30 on every sale."
- 3 To clean, wash, rinse. dialectal
- 4 catch with a net wordnet
- 5 To catch in a trap, or by stratagem. figuratively, transitive
"And now I am here, netted and in the toils."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 To yield as profit for. transitive
"The scam netted the criminals $30,000."
- 7 construct or form a web, as if by weaving wordnet
- 8 To enclose or cover with a net.
"to net a tree"
- 9 To fully hedge a position.
"Every party is netting their position with a counter-party."
- 10 make as a net profit wordnet
- 11 To score (a goal). transitive
"Evans netted the winner in the 80th minute."
- 12 yield as a net profit wordnet
- 13 To hit the ball into the net.
"Azarenka whipped a sensational forehand around the net post to break for 2-0 in the second set, followed it up with a love hold and moved to 5-1 when Paszek netted a forehand."
- 14 To form a netting or network; to knit.
"I was shown into a pretty but rather close drawing-room, and there sat Agnes, netting a purse."
Adjective
- 1 Good, desirable; clean, decent, clear. not-comparable, obsolete
"Her brest all naked, as net iuory, / Without adorne of gold or siluer bright […]"
- 2 Free from extraneous substances; pure; unadulterated; neat. not-comparable
"net wine"
- 3 Remaining after expenses or deductions. not-comparable
"Near-synonym: take-home"
- 4 Final; end. not-comparable
"net result; net conclusion"
Adjective
- 1 conclusive in a process or progression wordnet
- 2 remaining after all deductions wordnet
Adverb
- 1 After expenses or deductions. not-comparable
"You'll have $5000 net."
Intj
- 1 Alternative spelling of nyet. alt-of, alternative
"Or again, the Russian Government may now take a poor view of publicizing rumours of Snowmen being sighted within their own frontiers. They may prefer to say Net to the prospect of dealing with inquiring foreigners who might ask for permission to go rampaging for footprints and sightings all over their mountains."
Preposition
- 1 Initialism of no earlier than or not earlier than. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Proper Noun
- 1 Clipping of Internet. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal
"The Web is just part of the Net."
- 2 A nickname for someone named Jeannette (or any of its alternative forms).
"Grandmother used my full middle name when she was talking about me. “Net's, short for Jeannette, baby,” Grandmother proudly answered each time. They all knew who Net was. “Net's gone back to Cincinnati,” she added."
Example
"I captured butterflies with a net."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "net"?
Common synonyms include: network, mesh, earnings, profit, trap, accrue.
How do you use "net" in a sentence?
I captured butterflies with a net.
How do you pronounce "net"?
Pronounced /nɛt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *neHd- Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Germanic *natją Proto-West Germanic *nati Old English nett Middle English net English net From Middle English net, from Old English net, nett, from Proto-West Germanic *nati, from Proto-Germanic *natją (“net”), from Proto-Indo-European *neHd- (“to knot, turn, twist”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian näät (“net”), Saterland Frisian Nät (“net”), West Frisian and Dutch net (“net”), German and Luxembourgish Netz (“net”), Yiddish נעץ (nets, “net”), Danish, Elfdalian, Faroese, and Icelandic net (“net”), Norwegian Bokmål nett (“net”), Norwegian Nynorsk net, nett (“net”), Swedish nät (“net”), Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐍄𐌹 (nati, “net”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English net, nette, from Old French net, from Latin nitidus. Doublet of neat and nitid.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Middle French nettoyer (“to cleanse”).
Etymology 4
Shortening.