I. NOUN AND VERB USES
(~s, ~ting, ~ted)
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 ~ is a piece of ~ting which is used as a protective covering for something, for example to protect vegetables from birds.
I threw aside my mosquito ~ and jumped out of bed.
N-COUNT
3.
A ~ is a piece of ~ting which is used for catching fish, insects, or animals.
Several fishermen sat on wooden barrels, tending their ~s.
N-COUNT
4.
The Net is the same as the Inter~ .
N-SING: the N
5.
If you ~ a fish or other animal, you catch it in a ~.
I’m quite happy to ~ a fish and then let it go...
= land
VERB: V n
6.
In games such as tennis, the ~ is the piece of ~ting across the centre of the court which the ball has to go over.
N-COUNT: usu the N in sing
7.
The ~ on a football or hockey field is the framework with ~ting over it which is attached to the back of the goal.
He let the ball slip through his grasp and into the ~.
= goal
N-COUNT: usu the N in sing
8.
In basketball, the ~ is the ~ting which hangs from the metal hoop. You score goals by throwing the ball through the hoop and ~ting.
N-COUNT
9.
If you ~ something, you manage to get it, especially by using skill.
They took to the water intent on ~ting the ?250,000 reward offered for conclusive proof of the monster’s existence.
VERB: V n
10.
If you ~ a particular amount of money, you gain it as profit after all expenses have been paid.
Last year he ~ted a cool 3 million pounds by selling his holdings...
= make
VERB: V n
11.
see also ~ting , safety ~
12.
If you cast your ~ wider, you look for or consider a greater variety of things.
The security forces are casting their ~ wider.
PHRASE: V and N inflect
13.
If criminals slip through the ~, 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 ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
14.
You use slip through the ~ or fall through the ~ 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 ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
II. ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB USES
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
Note: in BRIT, also use '~t'
1.
A ~ amount is one which remains when everything that should be subtracted from it has been subtracted.
...a rise in sales and ~ profit...
At the year end, ~ assets were ?18 million...
What you actually receive is ~ 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 ~...
All bank and building society interest is paid ~.
ADV: amount ADV, ADV after v
2.
The ~ weight of something is its weight without its container or the material that has been used to wrap it.
...350 mg ~ weight.
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
A ~ result is a final result after all the details have been considered or included.
We have a ~ gain of nearly 50 seats, the biggest for any party in Scotland...
We will be a ~ exporter of motor cars in just a few years’ time.
= overall
ADJ: ADJ n