net

NET/nɛt/

Pluralnets

Verbnets, netting, netted

25 meanings of net

Practice

1
catching toolnouncountable
A mesh of string, cord, or rope with spaces between the strands, especially one used for catching fish or other animals.
The angler scooped the trout into a net before it could slip away.
Researchers used a fine net to catch and tag the migrating moths.
2
minus costsadjective
Remaining after expenses, taxes, or other deductions have been subtracted.
The investors cared most about the net return on their money.
After shipping and fees, her net earnings were far smaller than the headline figure.
UsageTo name what was taken off, use net of: income net of tax, profits net of costs.
Similartake-home, clear
Oppositegross
Note
The accounting adjective goes before its noun: net profit, net income, net weight. Net weight shows the sense is not only about money. It means what the contents weigh once the packaging is set aside.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Net weight excludes packaging and measures the contents, so net is not restricted to money. nvlpubs.nist.gov
3
overalladjective
Final or remaining, representing the result after all factors are accounted for.
The net outcome of the negotiations pleased both sides.
Despite the setbacks, the net gain over the year was positive.
Similaroverall, final, ultimate, resulting
4
goal framenouncountable
A framework backed by mesh that serves as the goal in hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and similar games.
The defender cleared the ball just before it crossed into the net.
Her slap shot sailed past the goalie and into the top corner of the net.
UsageUsually the net: a shot goes into the net or hits the back of the net.
Similargoal
Note
A score normally counts only when the ball or puck fully crosses the line inside the frame. A defender's blunder has its own phrase, as in Mark Vesty's 2010 BBC report: Squillaci "headed into his own net."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Mark Vesty's 2010 BBC report used the words “headed into his own net” about Squillaci. en.wiktionary.org
5
system of linksnouncountable
A system that connects many users or locations, allowing transport or communication between them.
The agency built a net of weather stations spanning the entire coastline.
Each Sunday evening, local ham radio operators check in to the county's emergency net.
Similarweb, system, grid
6
verbtransitive
To earn or bring in an amount as profit after expenses; more generally, to gain or win something.
The concert netted the charity nearly fifty thousand dollars.
Selling the old equipment should net them a decent return.
UsageOften with two objects, who gains and then how much: the sale netted the charity $500, or simply netted $500.
Similarearn, make, clear, gain, yield
Oppositelose
7
scoreverbtransitive
To score a goal, especially by putting the ball into the net.
The forward netted a stunning equalizer from the edge of the box.
Strikers who reliably net goals command the highest transfer fees.
UsageMostly in sports reports: a player nets a goal, nets the winner, or nets twenty goals in a season.
Similarscore, bag, slot
Note
Sports reporting borrows this verb from the goal itself.
8
nouncountable
The amount that remains once expenses and other deductions have been subtracted.
Once the loan repayments were taken out, the net barely covered her rent.
The festival's net rose sharply after the organizers cut catering costs.
UsageUsually the net or a possessive, with on for the source: our net on that sale.
Similarprofit, earnings, proceeds
Oppositegross
9
nouncolloquial
The Internet, meaning the global network of computers plus the sites and services people use on it; usually preceded by the and sometimes capitalized.
Within an hour, the video had spread all over the Net.
Plenty of what you read on the net about miracle diets is nonsense.
UsageSay read something on the net. Another common phrase is surf the net, without on.
Similarinternet, web
10
catch (in mesh)verbtransitive
To catch something, such as a fish or bird, in a net, or to catch someone by a trap or clever plan.
They netted dozens of shrimp in the warm coastal shallows.
Skilled fishermen net the salmon as they crowd into the river mouth.
Similarcatch, trap, capture, snare
Oppositerelease, free
11
nouncountable
Anything that resembles a mesh device in appearance, showing a pattern of crossing lines or strands.
The veins formed a fine net just beneath the leaf's translucent skin.
Streetlights traced a glowing net across the city when seen from the air.
Similarweb, mesh, lattice, grid
12
nouncountablecricket
A practice space surrounded by netting, where cricket players work on their batting and bowling.
He bowled in the nets all morning to sharpen his line before the test series.
The cricket captain skipped net practice to rest his sore shoulder.
UsagePlayers bat or bowl in the nets; before another noun, say net practice or a net session.

Less common meanings

13
court barriernouncountable
A length of mesh stretched across the middle of a court to divide it in tennis, badminton, volleyball, and similar games.
He hit a delicate drop shot that barely cleared the net.
The umpire checked that the net was set to the correct height before the match.
UsageCommon combinations: a shot clears the net, hits the net, or clips the net.
Note
The dividing mesh of racket and volleying games is a regulated piece of equipment, and its height is checked before play. In tennis it sits lower at the center than at the posts, and a serve that clips it before landing in is replayed as a let.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
The dividing net is regulated equipment in these sports. fivb.com
Officials check the net's height before play. fivb.com
The tennis net is lower at the center than at the posts. itftennis.com
Under the standard tennis rules, a serve touching the net and landing in the correct service box is replayed as a let. itftennis.com
14
snarenouncountable
A trap or snare, often a scheme designed to catch or entangle someone.
The conspirators were caught in a net of their own making.
Investigators tightened the net until the fraudster had nowhere left to hide.
UsageCommon phrases: close or tighten the net around someone, spread a net, be caught in someone's net.
Similartrap, snare, web
Note
The figurative trap, and an old one: the King James Bible of 1611 warns that a flatterer "spreadeth a net for his feet."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikisource.org
The King James Bible uses the quoted figurative net image of a flatterer in Proverbs 29:5. en.wikisource.org
15
adverb
Counting the amount left after expenses or deductions have been subtracted.
The contract pays him sixty thousand dollars net for the season.
After rent and wages, the little shop brings in about eight hundred dollars a week net.
UsageGoes after the amount: sixty thousand net, $800 a week net.
Similarclear
16
verbtransitive
To enclose or cover something by placing a net over or around it.
Farmers net their cherry trees each spring to protect the fruit from birds.
The gardener netted the strawberry beds against rabbits.
UsageOften with against for the danger: net the trees against birds.
Similarcover, enclose
Note
Here the net catches nothing. It holds or shields what lies beneath it, as when you net a tree against birds. The image reaches well beyond real mesh: in Tennyson's In Memoriam (1850), the fine roots of an old yew net the head of the dead below. Keep it apart from the catching sense: there the net captures something that moves, while here it wraps something that stays put.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Tennyson wrote In Memoriam, first published in 1850. en.wikisource.org
The poem describes an old yew's root fibres enclosing a dead person's head. en.wikisource.org
17
hit intoverbtransitive
In a racket sport, to strike the ball into the dividing net instead of clearing it.
She netted a routine backhand at match point.
Beginners often net the ball when they hit too flat.
Note
The tennis verb is the opposite of the soccer verb: in soccer, netting the ball wins a goal, but in tennis it is an error. The object is usually the stroke that failed, as when Paszek netted a forehand or a player nets a routine backhand. A netted rally shot loses the point, while a netted first serve is only a fault.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
In soccer, netting the ball means scoring a goal. en.wiktionary.org
Hitting the ball into the net instead of clearing it is a tennis error. usta.com
Paszek netted a forehand. en.wiktionary.org
A netted rally shot loses the point. A first serve hit into the net is a fault and allows a second serve. itftennis.com
18
front courtnouncountable
The region of a tennis court immediately next to the mesh barrier that divides the two halves.
He charges the net behind every serve, hoping for a quick volley.
Approaching the net leaves the backcourt open to a lob.
UsageWith the: come to the net, rush the net, volley at the net.
Note
By extension the mesh names the ground beside it, much as the baseline names the back of the court.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The baseline marks the back of the tennis court. usta.com
19
fold-out shapenouncountable
In geometry, an arrangement of polygons joined edge to edge that folds along those edges to form a given polyhedron.
Students drew the net of a cube as six connected squares.
A single polyhedron can have several different nets.
Note
Geometry uses the word for the flat pattern a solid unfolds into, and it takes of: the net of a cube, the net of a pyramid. The test is the folding. Every outer edge must meet another when the faces bend along their shared sides. So one solid can have several nets, and a set of the right faces laid out the wrong way is not a net at all.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
A polyhedron's net is a flat pattern obtained by unfolding its surface. mathworld.wolfram.com
Folding along the shared edges must bring the outer edges together to form the polyhedron. en.wiktionary.org
A single polyhedron can have several different nets. en.wikipedia.org
An arrangement of faces that cannot fold into the required closed polyhedron is not its net. mathworld.wolfram.com
20
verbtransitive
In finance, to offset opposing positions or obligations against each other so that only the net amount or exposure remains.
Clearing houses net offsetting trades among their members, so each firm settles only its remaining balance.
By netting its trades with each counterparty, the fund reduced its daily settlement payments to a small fraction of their gross value.
Similaroffset, hedge
Note
Traders use the verb for setting one position against an opposite one so that only the difference stays exposed. It takes with for the other side: every party nets its position with a counterparty. It is the same subtraction as the accounting adjective, applied to risk. Matching amounts cancel, and only the leftover balance remains as exposure.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
Netting offsets opposing positions, but a positive net exposure can remain. federalreserve.gov
21
make meshverbtransitive
To work threads into a netting or network, as by knitting or knotting.
On winter evenings the old fisherman sat by the stove, netting new bait bags for his lobster traps, knot by knot.
The women of the village still net sturdy market bags from cotton cord, tying every knot by hand.
Similarweave, knit, knot
Note
The handicraft verb, for making mesh by knotting. Either the cord or the finished article can be the object. Dickens treats it as a domestic art in David Copperfield, where Agnes sits "netting a purse." The -ing form, netting, also names the mesh that the work produces.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield. gutenberg.org
David Copperfield depicts Agnes sitting and netting a purse; the quoted words are exact and occur in David's narration. gutenberg.org
22
adjectiveobsolete
Good or desirable; clean, decent, and clear.
Note
A different word from the mesh: Middle English net, nette, from Old French net and ultimately Latin nitidus, which makes it a doublet of neat and nitid. It praised things as clean, fine or bright, as when Spenser's Faerie Queene (1590) describes a breast "as net ivory." The sense is obsolete, and a modern writer would use neat or clean instead.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
This adjective has a different origin from the mesh word, which is Germanic. en.wiktionary.org
The adjective comes through Middle English net, nette and Old French net from Latin nitidus. en.wiktionary.org
Net, neat and nitid are doublets. en.wiktionary.org
The historical adjective described things as clean, fine or bright. en.wiktionary.org
Edmund Spenser wrote The Faerie Queene, whose first three books were first published in 1590. en.wikisource.org
The poem's narrator describes a breast as 'as net ivory'; the quotation modernizes the spelling iuory. gutenberg.org
23
adjective
Free from any added or foreign substances; pure and unadulterated.
24
noun
In circuit design, a conductor that connects two or more component terminals.
25
verbdialectal
In certain dialects, to clean, wash, or rinse something.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of net apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 4–5, 7, 10–14, 16–19, 21

From Middle English "net," from Old English "net, nett," going back through Proto-Germanic, possibly to the Proto-Indo-European root *neHd- ("to turn, twist, knot"). It is related to Dutch "net," German "Netz," and Swedish "nät."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

English net descends from Middle English net and Old English net, nett through Proto-Germanic. en.wiktionary.org
The Proto-Germanic ancestor possibly derives from Proto-Indo-European *neHd-, meaning 'to turn, twist, knot'. en.wiktionary.org
English net is cognate with Dutch net, German Netz and Swedish nät. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 2–3, 6, 8, 15, 20, 22

Latin "nitidus" passed into Old French as "net" and then into Middle English as "net" or "nette". "Neat" and "nitid" come from the same source, so they are doublets.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Latin nitidus developed into Old French net. en.wiktionary.org
Old French net passed into Middle English as net or nette. en.wiktionary.org
Neat and nitid share the Latin source of net and are doublets. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 9

Shortened from "Internet," itself a shortening of "internetwork" (from "inter-" and "network").

Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Net is shortened from Internet. en.wiktionary.org
Internet is a shortening of internetwork. en.wikipedia.org
Internetwork is formed from inter- and network. en.wiktionary.org