Synonyms of nets

nets 1 of 4

noun (1)

plural of net

1

as in nettings

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 & Similar Words

• nettings
• meshes
• screens
• networks
• laces
• webbings
• webs
• screenings
• grilles
• lattices
• tulles
• fishnets
• filigrees
• wireworks
• marquisettes
• bobbinets
• Brussels laces

2

as in traps

a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise

drug runners caught in an elaborate net set by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

• traps
• ambushes
• snares
• webs
• ruses
• entanglements
• tricks
• deceptions
• snags
• hazards
• catches
• land mines
• pitfalls
• entrapments
• subterfuges
• envelopments
• booby traps
• artifices
• enmeshments
• cheats
• duplicities
• double-dealings
• ploys

3

as in tangles

something that catches and holds

caught in a net of palace intrigues

Synonyms & Similar Words

• traps
• tangles
• meshes
• webs
• snares
• entanglements
• toils
• labyrinths
• nooses
• mazes
• quicksands
• morasses
• quagmires
• tanglements
• snarls
• knots
• spiderwebs
• cobwebs
• cat's cradles

nets

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of net

1

as in earnings

the amount of money left when expenses are subtracted from the total amount received

his net for the year was about 60% of his total income

Synonyms & Similar Words

• earnings
• profits
• proceeds
• gains
• returns
• payoffs
• incomes
• salaries
• revenues
• wages
• sales
• yields
• lucre
• payments
• windfalls
• cleanups
• bottom lines
• pays
• killings
• compensations
• interests
• grosses
• emoluments
• remittals
• requitals

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• costs
• expenses
• losses
• expenditures
• charges
• outlays
• disbursements
• outgoes

2

as in hearts

the central part or aspect of something under consideration

the net of the report on race relations is that things are better but not good enough

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hearts
• roots
• cores
• kernels
• essences
• points
• sums
• meats
• pivots
• nuclei
• bottom lines
• centerpieces
• meat and potatoes
• nubs
• nubbins
• piths
• gists
• bull's-eyes
• themes
• drifts
• subjects
• cruxes
• substances
• contents
• bodies
• keynotes
• tenors
• directions
• courses
• theses
• hypotheses
• propositions
• purports

nets

3 of 4

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of net

1

as in meshes

to catch or hold as if in a net

the kite was stubbornly netted in the branches of the willow tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

• traps
• tangles
• meshes
• snares
• ensnares
• enmeshes
• entraps
• entangles
• involves
• captures
• ensnarls
• entoils
• catches up
• collars
• implicates
• bags
• embroils
• birdlimes
• mires

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• detaches
• disentangles
• frees
• disengages
• untangles
• clears
• liberates
• extricates

2

as in grabs

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

a police sting that netted drug dealers from all parts of the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grabs
• catches
• traps
• snatches
• lands
• seizes
• snares
• captures
• hooks
• snags
• gets
• bags
• grapples
• collars
• raps
• nabs
• nails
• corrals
• cops
• takes hold (of)
• snaps (up)
• gloves
• ropes
• nobbles
• clutches
• gloms
• arrests
• corners
• grasps
• holds
• grips
• meshes
• bays
• secures
• fists
• lassos
• clasps
• apprehends
• detains
• latches (on or onto)
• halters
• ensnares
• enmeshes
• entraps
• kidnaps
• fastens (on)
• rends
• entangles
• abducts
• spirits (away or off)
• wrests

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• frees
• discharges
• releases
• drops
• liberates
• loosens
• unhands

nets

4 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of net

as in earns

to receive after charges and deductions have been made

the entrepreneur netted millions on that deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• earns
• gains
• gets
• clears
• makes
• realizes
• garners
• rakes (in)
• cleans up
• cashes in (on)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grosses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nets

Noun

Most of these vessels are purse seiners or trawlers, which deploy vast nets to capture dense schools of fish. — Ian Urbina, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Fort Lauderlale’s popular south side beach area, where volleyball nets, grills and the annual Tortuga Music Festival usher in a steady mix of locals and visitors. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026

But if that person were, say, a lawyer who could earn $500 per hour, then donating three hours’ worth of wages to a charity that bought anti-malarial bed nets could save several hundred people’s lives every week. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026

The list includes two Par nets that already had been put on the block twice, BET (and its various sub-channels) and VH1, as well as Comedy Central, with the company’s flagships MTV and Nickelodeon out of danger. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026

Where canoes once rested beside fishing nets drying in the sun, housing developments and new infrastructure have appeared. — Sebastián López Brach, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026

The Base is a bare shell without any felt, storage nets or windows. — New Atlas, 14 Sep. 2026

Passive nets retain practical advantage Passive fog nets have operated in the same desert for years without using electricity. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Like ballplayers just before the pitch, animal control crouched into position, with thick metal grabbers, nooses, and nets at the ready. — Zachary Przystup, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

Owen Michaels nets his second goal Michaels scored his second career NHL goal on his second shot. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Apple's $1,699 starter model nets you a base-level M5 Pro processor (with a 15-core CPU and a 16-core GPU), 24GB of unified memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

That nets you the filtration device, two hoses, five pre-filter heads, and one internal filter cartridge. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026

Violation nets no penalties Two weeks before approving a 30% rate increase in May 2023, the Arizona Department of Child Safety issued a licensing violation against Sunshine over Blodgett’s case. — Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Keep in mind that nets with too much slack and stretch won’t hold onto belongings securely. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026

Co-executive producer Gaby Chiappe was tapped to serve as lead writer for the season, which will be the first in the series to adapt two of author Mick Herron’s books for a single season — usually one book nets out to one six-hour run of a season. — Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026

Violating the alternate-side rules — which vary by neighborhood and can see the streets swept anywhere from one to three times a week — already nets New Yorkers a $65 fine. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Samsung is currently offering up to $1,200 instant trade-in credit for your used phone, but only the Galaxy S26 Ultra nets that much. — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026