Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

web

Pronunciation: /wɛb/
Translate web | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
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
  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

monocular

/ məˈnäkyələr /
adjective , noun
with, for, or in one eye …