Definition of net
(Entry 1 of 5)
1a
: an open-meshed fabric twisted, knotted, or woven together at regular intervals
b
: something made of net: such as
(1)
: a device for catching fish, birds, or insects
(2)
: a fabric barricade (see barricade entry 2 sense 1a) which divides a court in half (as in tennis or volleyball) and over which a ball or shuttlecock must be hit to be in play
(3)
: the fabric that encloses the sides and back of the goal (see goal sense 2a) in various games (such as soccer or hockey)
shot the puck into the net
2
: an entrapping device or situation
caught in the net of suspicious circumstances cannot escape the net of circumstances in which he is caught— W. P. Webb
3
: something resembling a net in reticulation (as of lines, fibers, or figures)
the net of global communication … the systemic net of restrictions …— John Edgar Wideman
4a
: a group of communications stations operating under unified control
Army radio net
b
: network sense 4
net
verb (1)
netted; netting
Definition of net (Entry 2 of 5)
1
: to cover or enclose with or as if with a net
2
: to catch in or as if in a net
3
: to cover with or as if with a network
4a
: to hit (a ball) into the net for the loss of a point in a racket game
b
: to hit (a ball or puck) into the goal for a score (as in hockey or soccer)
also
: to score (a point or goal) by netting a ball or puck
net
adjectiveDefinition of net (Entry 3 of 5)
net
verb (2)
netted; netting
Definition of net (Entry 4 of 5)
2
: to get possession of : gain
net
noun (2)Definition of net (Entry 5 of 5)
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for net
The first known use of net was before the 12th century
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