Synonyms of net

net 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈnet 

1

as in netting

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

• netting
• web
• mesh
• network
• webbing
• lace
• screening
• screen
• tulle
• grille
• lattice
• filigree
• fishnet
• bobbinet
• marquisette
• wirework
• Brussels lace

2

as in trap

a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise

drug runners caught in an elaborate net set by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• ambush
• web
• snare
• ruse
• entanglement
• trick
• deception
• entrapment
• envelopment
• hazard
• catch
• snag
• land mine
• pitfall
• duplicity
• cheat
• subterfuge
• enmeshment
• cheating
• ploy
• booby trap
• double-dealing
• artifice

3

as in web

something that catches and holds

caught in a net of palace intrigues

Synonyms & Similar Words

• web
• tangle
• trap
• entanglement
• labyrinth
• snare
• noose
• maze
• quicksand
• morass
• quagmire
• mesh(es)
• tanglement
• toil(s)
• snarl
• knot
• cobweb
• spiderweb
• cat's cradle

net

2 of 4

noun (2)

1

as in profit

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

• profit
• earnings
• proceeds
• gain
• income
• return
• payoff
• salary
• revenue
• sales
• lucre
• wages
• bottom line
• payment
• windfall
• cleanup
• killing
• yield
• pay
• gross
• compensation
• interest
• emolument
• remittal
• requital

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cost
• loss
• expense
• expenditure
• charge
• outlay
• outgo
• disbursement

2

as in root

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

• root
• core
• essence
• heart
• kernel
• sum
• point
• meat
• nucleus
• pivot
• sum and substance
• bottom line
• gist
• pith
• crux
• subject
• centerpiece
• the long and short
• nub
• content
• bull's-eye
• direction
• tenor
• meat and potatoes
• keynote
• theme
• drift
• substance
• body
• nubbin
• course
• thesis
• hypothesis
• proposition
• purport

net

3 of 4

verb (1)

1

as in to trap

to catch or hold as if in a net

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• tangle
• mesh
• ensnare
• snare
• entrap
• enmesh
• entangle
• capture
• involve
• catch up
• ensnarl
• entoil
• implicate
• collar
• birdlime
• mire
• bag
• embroil

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disentangle
• free
• detach
• extricate
• clear
• disengage
• untangle
• liberate

2

as in to grab

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

• grab
• catch
• land
• snatch
• capture
• seize
• trap
• get
• snare
• hook
• snag
• grapple
• bag
• take hold (of)
• corral
• snap (up)
• nab
• nail
• rope
• rap
• nobble
• cop
• glom
• collar
• grasp
• glove
• clutch
• secure
• bay
• arrest
• hold
• grip
• fist
• corner
• mesh
• lasso
• apprehend
• ensnare
• latch (on or onto)
• clasp
• detain
• rend
• fasten (on)
• entrap
• halter
• entangle
• kidnap
• spirit (away or off)
• wrest
• enmesh
• abduct

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• miss
• free
• release
• discharge
• drop
• liberate
• loosen
• unhand

net

4 of 4

verb (2)

as in to earn

to receive after charges and deductions have been made

the entrepreneur netted millions on that deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• earn
• gain
• get
• make
• realize
• clear
• garner
• clean up
• rake (in)
• cash in (on)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gross

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of net

Noun

The team will likely be backstopped by Lukas Dostal, one of the NHL’s top young goaltenders, but there is quality NHL depth in net as well. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026

Get Inside Wealth directly to your inbox The Inside Wealth newsletter by Robert Frank is your weekly guide to high-net-worth investors and the industries that serve them. —Robert Frank, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026

Verb

Bezalel Zini, brother of Israeli security service chief David Zini, was indicted over smuggling 14 cartons of cigarettes through the Sufa crossing between southern Gaza and Israel in a scheme that netted him about $117,000. —Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026

The two first-round picks netted by the Mavericks will not come close to sniffing lottery territory. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026