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
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Relevance
2
as in trap
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise
drug runners caught in an elaborate net set by the police
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of net
Rebecca Wright, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
During regulation, the Lions put the ball in the back of the net on two separate occasions but both times were called offsides.
—Staff and Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 8 Aug. 2025
But the dragnets being cast by police who seek data on thousands of households at a time are also netting people who put up a lot of Christmas lights, heat or air condition large homes or, as in Decker’s case, mine cryptocurrency.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for net
Noun
Building crews are also grafting in the summer heat to erect poles and wires covered with fishing nets – to cover more than 100 miles of Zaporizhzhia’s roads with anti-drone nets, some made from old-fashioned fishing nets.
—Rebecca Wright, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
During regulation, the Lions put the ball in the back of the net on two separate occasions but both times were called offsides.
—Staff and Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
If anything, a few wins at a Grand Slam could net some decent earnings for Mboko.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 8 Aug. 2025
But the dragnets being cast by police who seek data on thousands of households at a time are also netting people who put up a lot of Christmas lights, heat or air condition large homes or, as in Decker’s case, mine cryptocurrency.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for net
Cite this Entry
“Net.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/net. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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