Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - net

I. [c red]NOUN AND VERB USES (nets, netting, netted) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Net is a kind of cloth that you can see through. It is made of very fine threads woven together so that there are small equal spaces between them. N-UNCOUNT 2. A net is a piece of netting which is used as a protective covering for something, for example to protect vegetables from birds. I threw aside my mosquito net and jumped out of bed. N-COUNT 3. A net is a piece of netting which is used for catching fish, insects, or animals. Several fishermen sat on wooden barrels, tending their nets. N-COUNT 4. The Net is the same as the Internet. N-SING: the N 5. If you net a fish or other animal, you catch it in a net. I’m quite happy to net a fish and then let it go... = land VERB: V n 6. In games such as tennis, the net is the piece of netting across the centre of the court which the ball has to go over. N-COUNT: usu the N in sing 7. The net on a football or hockey field is the framework with netting over it which is attached to the back of the goal. He let the ball slip through his grasp and into the net. = goal N-COUNT: usu the N in sing 8. In basketball, the net is the netting which hangs from the metal hoop. You score goals by throwing the ball through the hoop and netting. N-COUNT 9. If you net something, you manage to get it, especially by using skill. They took to the water intent on netting the ?250,000 reward offered for conclusive proof of the monster’s existence. VERB: V n 10. If you net a particular amount of money, you gain it as profit after all expenses have been paid. Last year he netted a cool 3 million pounds by selling his holdings... = make VERB: V n 11. see also netting, safety net 12. If you cast your net wider, you look for or consider a greater variety of things. The security forces are casting their net wider. PHRASE: V and N inflect 13. If criminals slip through the net, they avoid being caught by the system or trap that was meant to catch them. Officials fear some of the thugs identified by British police may have slipped through the net. PHRASE: V inflects 14. You use slip through the net or fall through the net to describe a situation where people are not properly cared for by the system that is intended to help them. The existence of more than one agency with power to intervene can lead to children falling through the net. PHRASE: V inflects II. [c red]ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB USES Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. Note: in BRIT, also use 'nett' 1. A net amount is one which remains when everything that should be subtracted from it has been subtracted. ...a rise in sales and net profit... At the year end, net assets were ?18 million... What you actually receive is net of deductions for the airfare and administration. ? gross ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ of n • Net is also an adverb. Balances of ?5,000 and above will earn 11 per cent gross, 8.25 per cent net... All bank and building society interest is paid net. ADV: amount ADV, ADV after v 2. The net weight of something is its weight without its container or the material that has been used to wrap it. ...350 mg net weight. ADJ: ADJ n 3. A net result is a final result after all the details have been considered or included. We have a net gain of nearly 50 seats, the biggest for any party in Scotland... We will be a net exporter of motor cars in just a few years’ time. = overall ADJ: ADJ n