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web

Pronunciation: /wɛb/
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Definition of web

noun

  • 1a network of fine threads constructed by a spider from fluid secreted by its spinnerets, used to catch its prey.
  • a filmy network spun by some insect larvae, especially communal caterpillars.
  • 2a complex system of interconnected elements:he found himself caught up in a web of bureaucracy
  • (the Web) the World Wide Web or the Internet:material downloaded from the Web [as modifier]:Web publishing
  • 3a membrane between the toes of a swimming bird or other aquatic animal.
  • a thin flat part connecting thicker or more solid parts in machinery.
  • 4a roll of paper used in a continuous printing process.
  • the endless wire mesh in a papermaking machine on which the paper is made.
  • 5a piece of woven fabric.

verb (webs, webbing, webbed)

[with object]
  • cover with or as though with a web:she noticed his tanned skin, webbed with fine creases

Derivatives

web-like

adjective

Origin:

Old English web(b) 'woven fabric', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch web, also to weave1. Early use of the verb was in the sense 'weave fabric on a loom'

web in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of web in the US English dictionary