net

¹net

noun

Definition of NET

1

a fabric made of strands loosely twisted, knotted, or woven together at regular intervals <the basketball didn't go into the basket—it just hit the net>

Synonyms mesh, netting, network

Related Words web, webbing; grille (also grill), lattice, screen, screening, wirework; bobbinet, Brussels lace, filigree, fishnet, lace, marquisette, tulle

2

a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise <drug runners caught in an elaborate net set by the police>

Synonyms ambush, net, snare, web

Related Words enmeshment, entanglement, entrapment, envelopment; booby trap, catch, hazard, land mine, pitfall, snag; artifice, cheat, cheating, deception, double-dealing, duplicity, ploy, ruse, subterfuge, trick

3

something that catches and holds <caught in a net of palace intrigues>

Synonyms entanglement, mesh(es), morass, net, noose, quagmire, quicksand, snare, tanglement, toil(s), trap

Related Words knot, snarl, tangle; cat's cradle, labyrinth, maze; cobweb, spiderweb