net.
A mesh of string, cord or rope.
Meaning & usage
A mesh of string, cord or rope.
a hairnet; a mosquito net; a tennis net
A device made from such mesh, used for catching fish, butterflies, etc.
A device made from such mesh, generally used for trapping something.
Anything that has the appearance of such a device.
Petri net
A trap.
caught in the prosecuting attorney's net
Any set of polygons joined edge to edge that, when folded along the edges between adjoining polygons so that the outer edges touch, form a given polyhedron.
A system that interconnects a number of users, locations etc. allowing transport or communication between them.
A system that interconnects a number of users, locations etc. allowing transport or communication between them. A conductor that interconnects two or more component terminals.
A framework backed by a mesh, serving as the goal in hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.
The striker headed the ball into the net to make it 1-0.
A mesh stretched to divide the court in tennis, badminton, volleyball, etc.
The area of the court close to the net (mesh stretched to divide the court).
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *natją Proto-West Germanic *nati Old English nett Middle English net English net From Middle English net, from Old English net, nett, from Proto-West Germanic *nati, from Proto-Germanic *natją (“net”), from Proto-Indo-European *neHd- (“to knot, turn, twist”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian näät (“net”), Saterland Frisian Nät (“net”), West Frisian and Dutch net (“net”), German and Luxembourgish Netz (“net”), Yiddish נעץ (nets, “net”), Danish, Elfdalian, Faroese, and Icelandic net (“net”), Norwegian Bokmål nett (“net”), Norwegian Nynorsk net, nett (“net”), Swedish nät (“net”), Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐍄𐌹 (nati, “net”).
To catch by means of a net.
To catch in a trap, or by stratagem.
To enclose or cover with a net.
Net the cherry trees to keep birds out.
To score (a goal).
Evans netted the winner in the 80th minute.
To hit the ball into the net.
To form a netting or network; to knit.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *natją Proto-West Germanic *nati Old English nett Middle English net English net From Middle English net, from Old English net, nett, from Proto-West Germanic *nati, from Proto-Germanic *natją (“net”), from Proto-Indo-European *neHd- (“to knot, turn, twist”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian näät (“net”), Saterland Frisian Nät (“net”), West Frisian and Dutch net (“net”), German and Luxembourgish Netz (“net”), Yiddish נעץ (nets, “net”), Danish, Elfdalian, Faroese, and Icelandic net (“net”), Norwegian Bokmål nett (“net”), Norwegian Nynorsk net, nett (“net”), Swedish nät (“net”), Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐍄𐌹 (nati, “net”).
Free from extraneous substances; pure; unadulterated; neat.
net wine
Remaining after expenses or deductions.
net profit; net weight
Final; end.
net result; net conclusion
Good, desirable; clean, decent, clear.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English net, nette, from Old French net, from Latin nitidus. Doublet of neat and nitid.
After expenses or deductions.
You'll have $5000 net.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English net, nette, from Old French net, from Latin nitidus. Doublet of neat and nitid.
The amount remaining after expenses or other kinds of deductions are subtracted.
Our net on that transaction was only fourteen dollars.
The net on that container was only fourteen tons.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English net, nette, from Old French net, from Latin nitidus. Doublet of neat and nitid.
To receive as profit.
The company nets $30 on every sale.
To yield as profit for.
The scam netted the criminals $30,000.
To fully hedge a position.
Every party is netting their position with a counter-party.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English net, nette, from Old French net, from Latin nitidus. Doublet of neat and nitid.
To clean, wash, rinse.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Middle French nettoyer (“to cleanse”).
Alternative spelling of nyet.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.