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magnet

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magnet

  • /ˈmæɡ.nɪt/ Australia, Canada, US
  • /ˈmæɡ.nət/ Australia, Canada, US
  • [ˈmæɡ.nət̚] Australia, Canada, US
  • /mæɡnɛʈ/ South Asia

Sounds like magnate (one pronunciation) · Rhymes with -ɪt

Where it comes from

From Middle English magnete, via Old French magnete, Latin magnēs, magnētem (“lodestone”), from Ancient Greek μαγνῆτις [λίθος] (magnêtis [líthos], “Magnesian [stone]”), either after the Lydian city Magnesia ad Sipylum (modern-day Manisa, Turkey), or after the Greek region of Μαγνησία (Magnēsía) (whence came the colonists who founded the city in Lydia). Related to manganese, magnesia and magnesium.

noun magnets

  1. A piece of material that attracts some metals by magnetism.
  2. figuratively, in compounds, informal, often An alluring or attractive person or thing. He always had a girl on his arm – he's a bit of a babe magnet.

    Similar: lodestone

  3. Internet, abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of magnet link Magnets are thus used to create a package of cryptologic information and bundling^([sic]) it together.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: magnetic, lodestone, draw, mag, pole, trap, swipe, braid, sucker, attract, attraction, imam, caring, love, loving, attracting

Translations

Every language

noun piece of material that attracts some metals by magnetism

Españolimán
한국어자석 jaseok
日本語磁石 jishaku
中文磁鐵 /磁铁 cítiě, 磁石 císhí
हिन्दीचुंबक cumbak, मक़नातीस maqnātīs
Kiswahilisumaku
Portuguêsímã, íman
Françaisaimant
DeutschMagnet
Italianomagnete, calamita
Ελληνικάμαγνήτης magnítis
Românămagnet
Русскиймагни́т magnít
Tiếng Việtnam châm
العربيةمَغْنَاطِيس maḡnāṭīs
עבריתמַגְנֵט magnét

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Cite this
MLA

"magnet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/magnet. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

magnet. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/magnet

Chicago

"magnet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/magnet.

BibTeX
@misc{magnet_2026,
  title = {magnet},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/magnet},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}