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web.

The silken structure which a spider builds using silk secreted from the spinnerets at the caudal tip of its abdomen; a spiderweb.

3 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/wɛb/
  1. The silken structure which a spider builds using silk secreted from the spinnerets at the caudal tip of its abdomen; a spiderweb.

    The sunlight glistened in the dew on the web.
  2. The silken structure which a spider builds using silk secreted from the spinnerets at the caudal tip of its abdomen; a spiderweb. Any of several similar materials, such as that created by tent caterpillars.

  3. Any interconnected set of persons, places, or things, which, when diagrammed, resembles a spider's web.

    broadly
  4. Any interconnected set of persons, places, or things, which, when diagrammed, resembles a spider's web. A scheme.

    broadly · figuratively
    web of lies
    She got lost in a web of international intrigue.
  5. Any interconnected set of persons, places, or things, which, when diagrammed, resembles a spider's web. The Internet; the World Wide Web.

    Internet · broadly
  6. Any interconnected set of persons, places, or things, which, when diagrammed, resembles a spider's web. A major broadcasting network.

    US · broadly · dated
  7. A latticed or woven structure.

    The gazebo’s roof was a web made of thin strips of wood.
  8. A latticed or woven structure. The part of a baseball mitt between the forefinger and thumb, the webbing.

    He caught the ball in the web.
  9. A latticed or woven structure. A band of webbing used to regulate the extension of the hood of a carriage.

    dated
  10. Senses related to an invented narrative A tall tale with more complexity than a myth or legend.

    usually
    Careful—she knows how to spin a good web, but don't lean too hard on what she says.
    a tangled web of deception
  11. Senses related to an invented narrative A plot or scheme.

  12. Any of several components that connect other components. The interconnection between flanges in structural members, increasing the effective lever arm and so the load capacity of the member.

  13. Any of several components that connect other components. The thinner vertical section of a railway rail between the top (head) and bottom (foot) of the rail.

  14. Any of several components that connect other components. A fold of tissue connecting the toes of certain birds or of other animals.

  15. Any of several components that connect other components. A fold of tissue connecting the toes of certain birds or of other animals. The abnormal webbing sometimes present between the fingers or toes in humans.

  16. Any of several components that connect other components. A section of a groin vault, separated by ribs.

  17. A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead. A continuous strip of material carried by rollers during processing.

  18. A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead. A long sheet of paper which is fed from a roll into a printing press, as opposed to individual sheets of paper.

  19. A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead. The blade of a saw.

  20. A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead. The thin, sharp part of a colter.

  21. A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead. The bit of a key.

  22. A seventeenth-century unit of Rhenish glass containing 60 bunches.

    obsolete
  23. A seventeenth-century unit of Rhenish glass containing 60 bunches. The blade of a sword.

    obsolete
  24. The series of barbs implanted on each side of the shaft of a feather, whether stiff and united together by barbules, as in ordinary feathers, or soft and separate, as in downy feathers.

  25. A cataract of the eye.

    archaic
  26. Woven cloth or material.

    obsolete
  27. Woven cloth or material. A piece of cloth or fabric, as off the loom or being removed from a loom.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *webaną Proto-Germanic *wabją Old English webb Middle English web English web From Middle English web, webbe, from Old English webb, from Proto-West Germanic *wabi, from Proto-Germanic *wabją (“web”), from Proto-Germanic *webaną (“to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wab (“web”), North Frisian wääb (“web”), Saterland Frisian Wäb (“web”), West Frisian and Dutch web (“web”), Danish væv (“web”), Faroese vevur (“web”), Icelandic vefur (“web”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk vev (“web”), Swedish väv (“web”); also Cornish goghi (“wasps”), Irish foich, foiche, puch (“wasp”), Welsh gwchi (“drone”), Latin vespa (“wasp”), Ancient Greek ὑφή (huphḗ, “web”), ὑφαίνω (huphaínō, “to weave”) (whence Greek ανυφαίνω (anyfaíno), υφαίνω (yfaíno, “to weave”)), Albanian vej (“to weave”), Latvian lapsene (“wasp”), Lithuanian vapsvà (“wasp”), Old Prussian wobse (“wasp”), Belarusian аса́ (asá, “wasp”), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian оса́ (osá, “wasp”), Czech vosa (“wasp”), Polish, Slovak, and Slovene osa (“wasp”), Serbo-Croatian о̀са, òsa (“wasp”), Armenian մոզ (moz, “a kind of fly that bites horses and cattle”), Northern Kurdish moz (“hornet; wasp”), Persian بافتن (bâftan, “to weave”), Tocharian A wäp- (“to weave”), Tocharian B wāp- (“to weave”), Sanskrit उभ्नाति (ubhnāti, “to hurt, kill; to cover; fill”).

verb/wɛb/
  1. To construct or form a web.

    intransitive
  2. To cover with a web or network.

    transitive
  3. To ensnare or entangle.

    transitive
  4. To provide with a web.

    transitive
  5. To weave.

    obsolete · transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *webaną Proto-Germanic *wabją Old English webb Middle English web English web From Middle English web, webbe, from Old English webb, from Proto-West Germanic *wabi, from Proto-Germanic *wabją (“web”), from Proto-Germanic *webaną (“to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wab (“web”), North Frisian wääb (“web”), Saterland Frisian Wäb (“web”), West Frisian and Dutch web (“web”), Danish væv (“web”), Faroese vevur (“web”), Icelandic vefur (“web”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk vev (“web”), Swedish väv (“web”); also Cornish goghi (“wasps”), Irish foich, foiche, puch (“wasp”), Welsh gwchi (“drone”), Latin vespa (“wasp”), Ancient Greek ὑφή (huphḗ, “web”), ὑφαίνω (huphaínō, “to weave”) (whence Greek ανυφαίνω (anyfaíno), υφαίνω (yfaíno, “to weave”)), Albanian vej (“to weave”), Latvian lapsene (“wasp”), Lithuanian vapsvà (“wasp”), Old Prussian wobse (“wasp”), Belarusian аса́ (asá, “wasp”), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian оса́ (osá, “wasp”), Czech vosa (“wasp”), Polish, Slovak, and Slovene osa (“wasp”), Serbo-Croatian о̀са, òsa (“wasp”), Armenian մոզ (moz, “a kind of fly that bites horses and cattle”), Northern Kurdish moz (“hornet; wasp”), Persian بافتن (bâftan, “to weave”), Tocharian A wäp- (“to weave”), Tocharian B wāp- (“to weave”), Sanskrit उभ्नाति (ubhnāti, “to hurt, kill; to cover; fill”).

name/wɛb/
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Web: the World Wide Web.

    alt-of
    Let me search the web for that.
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *webaną Proto-Germanic *wabją Old English webb Middle English web English web From Middle English web, webbe, from Old English webb, from Proto-West Germanic *wabi, from Proto-Germanic *wabją (“web”), from Proto-Germanic *webaną (“to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wab (“web”), North Frisian wääb (“web”), Saterland Frisian Wäb (“web”), West Frisian and Dutch web (“web”), Danish væv (“web”), Faroese vevur (“web”), Icelandic vefur (“web”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk vev (“web”), Swedish väv (“web”); also Cornish goghi (“wasps”), Irish foich, foiche, puch (“wasp”), Welsh gwchi (“drone”), Latin vespa (“wasp”), Ancient Greek ὑφή (huphḗ, “web”), ὑφαίνω (huphaínō, “to weave”) (whence Greek ανυφαίνω (anyfaíno), υφαίνω (yfaíno, “to weave”)), Albanian vej (“to weave”), Latvian lapsene (“wasp”), Lithuanian vapsvà (“wasp”), Old Prussian wobse (“wasp”), Belarusian аса́ (asá, “wasp”), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian оса́ (osá, “wasp”), Czech vosa (“wasp”), Polish, Slovak, and Slovene osa (“wasp”), Serbo-Croatian о̀са, òsa (“wasp”), Armenian մոզ (moz, “a kind of fly that bites horses and cattle”), Northern Kurdish moz (“hornet; wasp”), Persian بافتن (bâftan, “to weave”), Tocharian A wäp- (“to weave”), Tocharian B wāp- (“to weave”), Sanskrit उभ्नाति (ubhnāti, “to hurt, kill; to cover; fill”).

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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.