What does netted mean?
Netted is the past tense and past participle of 'net' and can function as an adjective. Its most concrete meaning is having been caught, trapped, or tangled in a net, as with fish, birds, or insects. It can also describe something enclosed or covered with a netlike mesh. In financial contexts, 'netted' means obtained as a net gain or profit after relevant costs and losses have been subtracted: a business may net revenue, profit, or a substantial sum of money. The phrase 'netted out' is also used when gains and losses offset one another to produce a final result. Netted is a flexible word that moves naturally between literal descriptions of capture or mesh and figurative accounts of financial gain. It is commonly used in journalism, commerce, sport, and fishing, and it is not restricted to either British or American English.
To catch, trap, or entangle in a net; to obtain as a net gain or profit after deductions.
"The fishermen netted a large catch before dawn."
The financial sense normally takes a noun such as 'profit', 'revenue', or a monetary amount as its object.
Caught or enclosed in a net; covered with netting or having a netlike pattern; achieved as a net profit.
"The bird lay motionless in the netted branches."
The precise meaning depends on the noun: 'netted fabric' indicates mesh, 'netted birds' indicates captured birds, and 'netted income' indicates profit after deductions.
A net can describe both a fisher's mesh and a company's final earnings: catch what you can, then see what you netted.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does netted come from?
The form 'netted' derives from the verb 'net', whose oldest sense refers to catching or enclosing something with a mesh. The English noun 'net' comes from Old English 'nett', a Germanic word associated with the material or meshes used for catching animals, fish, or insects. The modern financial senses developed by analogy with the idea of gains remaining after losses and expenses have been taken into account. The related word 'network' originally referred to an openwork arrangement resembling a net before being extended to systems of interconnected people or things.
Related word forms
How netted is actually used
As a participial adjective, the form of 'netted' varies with context: 'a netted catch' describes a mesh-covered catch, while 'a netted profit' describes a gain after deductions. The word is standard in both British and American English.
Easily confused with netted
Netted means caught or enclosed in a net or covered with netting, whereas nested means placed or arranged within one another.
Netted refers to the mesh or strands of a net, while knotted means tied in one or more knots.