magnet

noun

mag·net | \ ˈmag-nət

Definition of magnet

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : lodestone

b : a body having the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field external to itself specifically : a mass of iron, steel, or alloy that has this property artificially imparted

2 : something that attracts a box-office magnet

magnet-

combining form

variants: or magneto-

Definition of magnet- (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : magnetic force magnetometer

2 : magnetism : magnetic magnetoelectric magneton

3 : magnetoelectric magnetoresistance

4 : magnetosphere magnetopause

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Examples of magnet in a Sentence

Noun

the giant theme park is a magnet for tourists to the area

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Surprisingly, hurricane-magnet Florida did not rank within the top five of states with the highest total loss amount from climate disasters per capita. — Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, "Report ranks Florida among the most dangerous states," 1 July 2019 President Trump, who frequently uses Twitter to communicate with constituents, is one of the site’s highest-profile users and thus one of its biggest controversy-magnets. — Sarah E. Needleman, WSJ, "Twitter to Flag Tweets by Officials That Violate Its Rules," 27 June 2019 Men in boats sink lines into its river, the muddy Hooghly—not to pull up fish, which are almost gone, but to yank up old, recyclable metal using magnets. — Paul Salopek, National Geographic, "Take a virtual stroll through India's ‘city of joy’," 31 May 2019 MagLev uses magnets to repel the keys back up after being pressed. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Hands-on: Dell's XPS 13 2-in-1 gets thinner and 2.5x faster with Intel's 10th Core i7," 28 May 2019 No, this was about a big brother wanting to help his trouble-magnet of a little brother find a purpose. — Théoden Janes, charlotteobserver, "His life was a mess. Then his talent for beating people up changed everything.," 18 Jan. 2018 Parent Beth Rappaport’s two children, ages 10 and 12, are among those who attend magnet programs. — Lois K. Solomon, sun-sentinel.com, "West Boynton middle school will be built after all," 18 June 2019 The industry acts as a huge magnet for women from across Mexico and Central America seeking what appears to be relatively stable work. — Denise Davidsonwriter, San Diego Union-Tribune, "In ‘City of Omens,’ author shares women’s tales of survival in Tijuana," 16 June 2019 The school's administration has embraced its status as a media magnet. — Fox News, "From fire and ash to caps, gowns: Graduation in burned town," 6 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magnet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for magnet

Noun

Middle English magnete, from Anglo-French, from Latin magnet-, magnes, from Greek magnēs (lithos), literally, stone of Magnesia, ancient city in Asia Minor

Combining form

Latin magnet-, magnes

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Dictionary Entries near magnet

magnesium oxychloride cement

magnesium perchlorate

Statistics for magnet

Last Updated

9 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for magnet

The first known use of magnet was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for magnet

magnet

noun

English Language Learners Definition of magnet

: a piece of material (such as iron or steel) that is able to attract certain metals

: something or someone that attracts people or things

See the full definition for magnet in the English Language Learners Dictionary

magnet

noun

mag·net | \ ˈmag-nət

Kids Definition of magnet

: a piece of material (as of iron, steel, or alloy) that is able to attract iron

magnet

noun

mag·net | \ ˈmag-nət

Medical Definition of magnet

: a body having the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field external to itself specifically : a mass of iron, steel, or alloy that has this property artificially imparted