Net vs. Screen: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 5, 2023
A net is a fabric made of intersecting threads, while a screen is a barrier or surface, often used for displaying images or for protection.
Key Differences
A net is typically a woven or stringed framework designed to trap, protect, or enclose, made of interlaced fibers or wires, whereas a screen is a flat panel or area used to display visual images or to shield and protect from light or view. The essence of a net is its open, meshed structure, while a screen is valued for its ability to divide, protect, or project.
In everyday usage, a net is often associated with fishing or sports, capturing objects within its openings, while a screen can refer to the part of a device on which visual information is displayed, like the screen of a television or computer. The net captures and holds, while the screen displays or shields.
In a digital context, the term net often refers to a network, such as the internet, implying connection and accessibility, while a screen is an interface, a point of interaction where digital content is viewed and engaged with. Here, a net symbolizes interconnectedness, and a screen is a gateway to digital content.
In finance, net refers to an amount remaining after deductions, indicating clarity and finality, while screen is not commonly used in financial contexts. The use of the word net in finance underlines a sense of conclusion, representing what is left after all deductions are made.
Hence, net and screen are multi-functional words with different implications and uses. A net is about catching, connecting, or concluding, and a screen is about displaying, protecting, or dividing. Their differences stem from their inherent functionalities and the contexts in which they are used.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Functionality
Catches, connects, or concludes
Displays, protects, or divides
Material
Often made of interlaced fibers or wires
Can be made of fabric, glass, or other materials
Usage
Fishing, sports, digital communication, finance
Viewing content, shielding, dividing spaces
Structure
Open, meshed structure
Flat, often solid panel or surface
Context
Used in sports, digital communication, finance
Used in technology, protection, and division
ADVERTISEMENT
Net and Screen Definitions
Net
The amount remaining after all deductions have been made.
After taxes, his net income was significantly lower.
Screen
A flat panel or area on which moving pictures can be projected.
The movie will be shown on a large screen.
Net
A framework or network allowing interchange and cooperation.
The organization has a wide net of volunteers.
Screen
A protective or decorative device that shields or divides.
She put up a screen to keep the sun out of her eyes.
Net
A goal in sports.
The soccer player skillfully kicked the ball into the net.
Screen
To examine or check methodically.
The hospital has a duty to screen all donors for potential diseases.
Net
An openwork fabric made of threads or cords that are woven or knotted together at regular intervals.
Screen
A system for selecting or rejecting people or things.
The initial application serves as a screen for potential candidates.
Net
A device for capturing birds, fish, or insects.
Screen
A movable device, especially a framed construction such as a room divider or a decorative panel, designed to divide, conceal, or protect.
Net
A barrier against flying insects.
Screen
One that serves to protect, conceal, or divide
Security guards formed a screen around the president. A screen of evergreens afforded privacy from our neighbors.
Net
A mesh for holding the hair in place.
Screen
A surface, as on a smartphone, television, or computer monitor, on which one can read and view electronically displayed information and images.
Net
Something that entraps; a snare.
Screen
A surface on which text and images are projected for display.
Net
A fine mesh fabric used as curtain or dress material or as the foundation for various laces.
Screen
The medium in which movies are shown
A star of stage and screen.
Net
A barrier of meshwork cord or rope strung between two posts to divide a court in half, as in tennis and badminton.
Screen
A coarse sieve used for sifting out fine particles, as of sand, gravel, or coal.
Net
A ball that is hit into this meshwork barrier.
Screen
A system for preliminary appraisal and selection of personnel as to their suitability for particular jobs.
Net
The goal in soccer, hockey, and lacrosse.
Screen
A window or door insertion of framed wire or plastic mesh used to keep out insects and permit air flow.
Net
The cord meshwork attached to the hoop of a basket in basketball.
Screen
A body of troops or ships sent in advance of or surrounding a larger body to protect or warn of attack.
Net
A meshed network of lines, figures, or fibers.
Screen
(Sports) A block, set with the body, that impedes the vision or movement of an opponent.
Net
Or Net The internet.
Screen
(Football) A screen pass.
Net
See network.
Screen
To show or project (a movie, for example) on a screen.
Net
A radio, television, or telephone network.
Screen
To conceal from view with a screen or something that acts like a screen
"Only a narrow line of brush and saplings screened the broad vista of the marsh" (David M. Carroll).
Net
(Business) A net amount, as of profit or weight.
Screen
To protect, guard, or shield
"This rose is screened from the wind with burlap" (Anne Raver).
Net
The main point; the essence
The net of our discussion.
Screen
To provide with a screen or screens
Screen a porch.
Net
To catch or ensnare in a net
Net fish.
Screen
To separate or sift out (fine particles of sand, for example) by means of a sieve or screen.
Net
To acquire or obtain
An investment that netted a hefty profit.
A personal ad that netted a dozen responses.
Screen
To sort through and eliminate unwanted examples of (something)
A filter that screens email, preventing spam from reaching the inbox.
Net
To cover, protect, or surround with a net or network
"The heart [is] netted with a maze of curving blood vessels that send blood through it in swirling patterns" (Jennifer Ackerman).
Screen
To examine (a job applicant, for example) systematically in order to determine suitability.
Net
To hit (the ball) into the net, as in volleyball.
Screen
To test or evaluate (a student) to determine placement in an educational system or to identify specific learning needs.
Net
To shoot (the ball or puck) into the goal, as in soccer or hockey.
Screen
To test or examine for the presence of disease or infection
Screen blood.
Screen a patient.
Net
To score (a goal).
Screen
To subject to genetic screening.
Net
To bring in or yield as profit.
Screen
To block the vision or movement of (an opponent) with the body.
Net
To clear as profit.
Screen
To obscure an opponent's view of (a shot) by positioning oneself between the opponent and the shooter.
Net
Remaining after all deductions have been made, as for expenses
Net profit.
Screen
A physical divider intended to block an area from view, or provide shelter from something dangerous.
A fire screen
Net
Remaining after tare is deducted
Net weight.
Screen
A material woven from fine wires intended to block animals or large particles from passing while allowing gasses, liquids and finer particles to pass.
Net
Ultimate; final
The net result.
Screen
A frame supporting a mesh of bars or wires used to classify fragments of stone by size, allowing the passage of fragments whose a diameter is smaller than the distance between the bars or wires.
Net
A mesh of string, cord or rope.
A hairnet; a mosquito net; a tennis net
Screen
(baseball) The protective netting which protects the audience from flying objects
Jones caught the foul up against the screen.
Net
A device made from such mesh, used for catching fish, butterflies, etc.
Screen
(printing) A stencil upon a framed mesh through which paint is forced onto printed-on material; the frame with the mesh itself.
Net
A device made from such mesh, generally used for trapping something.
Screen
(by analogy) Searching through a sample for a target; an act of screening
A drug screen, a genetic screen
Net
Anything that has the appearance of such a device.
Petri net
Screen
(genetics) A technique used to identify genes so as to study gene functions.
Net
(by extension) A trap.
Caught in the prosecuting attorney's net
Screen
Various forms or formats of information display
Net
(geometry) Of a polyhedron, any set of polygons joined edge to edge that, when folded along the edges between adjoining polygons so that the outer edges touch, form the polyhedron.
Screen
The viewing surface or area of a movie, or moving picture or slide presentation.
Net
A system that interconnects a number of users, locations etc. allowing transport or communication between them.
Screen
The informational viewing area of electronic devices, where output is displayed.
Net
(electronics) A conductor that interconnects two or more component terminals.
Screen
One of the individual regions of a video game, etc. divided into separate screens.
Net
(sports) A framework backed by a mesh, serving as the goal in hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.
The striker headed the ball into the net to make it 1-0.
Screen
(computer) The visualised data or imagery displayed on a computer screen.
After you turn on the computer, the login screen appears.
Net
A mesh stretched to divide the court in tennis, badminton, volleyball, etc.
Screen
(figurative) A disguise; concealment.
Net
The area of the court close to the net (mesh stretched to divide the court).
Screen
Definitions related to standing in the path of an opposing player
Net
The amount remaining after expenses are deducted; profit.
Screen
(American football) screen pass
Net
(transitive) To catch by means of a net.
Screen
(basketball) An offensive tactic in which a player stands so as to block a defender from reaching a teammate.
Net
To catch in a trap, or by stratagem.
Screen
(cricket) An erection of white canvas or wood placed on the boundary opposite a batsman to make the ball more easily visible.
Net
To enclose or cover with a net.
To net a tree
Screen
(nautical) A collection of less-valuable vessels that travel with a more valuable one for the latter's protection.
Net
To score (a goal).
Evans netted the winner in the 80th minute.
Screen
(architecture) A dwarf wall or partition carried up to a certain height for separation and protection, as in a church, to separate the aisle from the choir, etc.
Net
(tennis) To hit the ball into the net.
Screen
A large scarf.
Net
To form a netting or network; to knit.
Screen
To filter by passing through a screen.
Mary screened the beans to remove the clumps of gravel.
Net
(transitive) To receive as profit.
The company nets $30 on every sale.
Screen
To shelter or conceal.
Net
(transitive) To yield as profit for.
The scam netted the criminals $30,000.
Screen
To remove information, or censor intellectual material from viewing. To hide the facts.
The news report was screened because it accused the politician of wrongdoing.
Net
To fully hedge a position.
Every party is netting their position with a counter-party
Screen
To present publicly (on the screen).
The news report will be screened at 11:00 tonight.
Net
(obsolete) Good, desirable; clean, decent, clear.
Screen
To fit with a screen.
We need to screen this porch. These bugs are driving me crazy.
Net
Free from extraneous substances; pure; unadulterated; neat.
Net wine
Screen
(medicine) To examine patients or treat a sample in order to detect a chemical or a disease, or to assess susceptibility to a disease.
Net
Remaining after expenses or deductions.
Net profit; net weight
Screen
(molecular biology) To search chemical libraries by means of a computational technique in order to identify chemical compounds which would potentially bind to a given biological target such as a protein.
Net
Final; end.
Net result; net conclusion
Screen
(basketball) To stand so as to block a defender from reaching a teammate.
Net
After expenses or deductions.
You'll have $5000 net.
Screen
To determine the source or subject matter of a call before deciding whether to answer the phone.
Net
A fabric of twine, thread, or the like, wrought or woven into meshes, and used for catching fish, birds, butterflies, etc.
Screen
Anything that separates or cuts off inconvenience, injury, or danger; that which shelters or conceals from view; a shield or protection; as, a fire screen.
Your leavy screens throw down.
Some ambitious men seem as screens to princes in matters of danger and envy.
Net
Anything designed or fitted to entrap or catch; a snare; any device for catching and holding.
A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet.
In the church's net there are fishes good or bad.
Screen
A dwarf wall or partition carried up to a certain height for separation and protection, as in a church, to separate the aisle from the choir, or the like.
Net
Anything wrought or woven in meshes; as, a net for the hair; a mosquito net; a tennis net.
Screen
A surface, as that afforded by a curtain, sheet, wall, etc., upon which an image, as a picture, is thrown by a magic lantern, solar microscope, etc.
Net
A figure made up of a large number of straight lines or curves, which are connected at certain points and related to each other by some specified law.
Screen
A long, coarse riddle or sieve, sometimes a revolving perforated cylinder, used to separate the coarser from the finer parts, as of coal, sand, gravel, and the like.
Net
A network.
Screen
An erection of white canvas or wood placed on the boundary opposite a batsman to enable him to see ball better.
Net
The internet; - usually the net; as, I found it on the net.
Screen
A netting, usu. of metal, contained in a frame, used mostly in windows or doors to allow in fresh air while excluding insects.
Net
To make into a net; to make in the style of network; as, to net silk.
Screen
The surface of an electronic device, as a television set or computer monitor, on which a visible image is formed. The screen is frequently the surface of a cathode-ray tube containing phosphors excited by the electron beam, but other methods for causing an image to appear on the screen are also used, as in flat-panel displays.
Net
To take in a net; to capture by stratagem or wile.
And now I am here, netted and in the toils.
Screen
The motion-picture industry; motion pictures.
Net
To inclose or cover with a net; as, to net a tree.
Screen
To provide with a shelter or means of concealment; to separate or cut off from inconvenience, injury, or danger; to shelter; to protect; to protect by hiding; to conceal; as, fruits screened from cold winds by a forest or hill.
They were encouraged and screened by some who were in high commands.
Net
To form network or netting; to knit.
Screen
To pass, as coal, gravel, ashes, etc., through a screen in order to separate the coarse from the fine, or the worthless from the valuable; to sift.
Net
To produce or gain as clear profit; as, he netted a thousand dollars by the operation.
Screen
To examine a group of objects methodically, to separate them into groups or to select one or more for some purpose.
Net
Without spot; pure; shining.
Her breast all naked as net ivory.
Screen
A white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
Net
Free from extraneous substances; pure; unadulterated; neat; as, net wine, etc.
Screen
Something that keeps things out or hinders sight;
They had just moved in and had not put up blinds yet
Net
Not including superfluous, incidental, or foreign matter, as boxes, coverings, wraps, etc.; free from charges, deductions, etc; as, net profit; net income; net weight, etc.
Screen
Display on the surface of the large end of a cathode-ray tube on which is electronically created
Net
A computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
Screen
A covering that serves to conceal or shelter something;
They crouched behind the screen
Under cover of darkness
Net
A trap made of netting to catch fish or birds or insects
Screen
Protective covering consisting of a metallic netting mounted in a frame and covering windows or doors (especially for protection against insects)
Net
The excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)
Screen
A strainer for separating lumps from powdered material or grading particles
Net
A goal lined with netting (as in soccer or hockey)
Screen
A door that is a screen to keep insects from entering a building through the open door;
He heard the screen slam as she left
Net
Game equipment consisting of a strip of netting dividing the playing area in tennis or badminton
Screen
Partition consisting of a decorative frame or panel that serves to divide a space
Net
An open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals
Screen
Test or examine for the presence of disease or infection;
Screen the blood for the HIV virus
Net
Make as a net profit;
The company cleared $1 million
Screen
Examine methodically;
Screen the suitcases
Net
Yield as a net profit;
This sale netted me $1 million
Screen
Examine in order to test suitability;
Screen these samples
Screen the job applicants
Net
Construct or form a web, as if by weaving
Screen
Project onto a screen for viewing;
Screen a film
Net
Catch with a net;
Net a fish
Screen
Prevent from entering;
Block out the strong sunlight
Net
Remaining after all deductions;
Net profit
Screen
Separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff
Net
Conclusive in a process or progression;
The final answer
A last resort
The net result
Screen
Protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm
Net
A fabric made of threads or cords that cross each other with open spaces in between.
He cast the net into the sea to catch fish.
Screen
The surface on a device where visual information is displayed.
The screen on my phone is cracked.
Net
To capture or obtain.
He managed to net a sizable profit from the deal.
FAQs
Is the term net used in financial contexts?
Yes, net is used in finance to refer to the amount remaining after all deductions have been made.
Can screen refer to a process of checking or filtering?
Yes, to screen can mean to examine, check, or filter methodically.
Can net refer to a goal in sports?
Yes, a net can refer to a goal in sports such as soccer or hockey.
Can a screen be made of different materials?
Absolutely, screens can be made of various materials such as fabric, glass, or plastic.
Can net have different meanings in different contexts?
Absolutely, net can mean a meshed fabric, the amount after deductions, or a goal in sports, among other meanings.
Can screen be used to refer to different things in different contexts?
Yes, screen can refer to a flat panel for viewing, a shield or protector, or a method of checking or examining.
Does the word screen always imply division or protection?
Not always, screen can also refer to displaying visual content or examining methodically.
Can the word net refer to capturing or obtaining something?
Yes, net can mean to capture or obtain something, like capturing fish or obtaining profits.
Does a net always have openings?
Typically, yes, a net has an open, meshed structure with spaces in between the threads or cords.
Is a screen only used for displaying visual content?
No, a screen can also be used to protect, shield, divide spaces, and to filter or examine methodically.
Can net be used as a verb?
Yes, net can be used as a verb meaning to capture, enclose, or obtain.
Is a screen always solid and flat?
While screens are often flat, they can be made of different materials and may not always be solid.
Can the term net imply a sense of connectivity?
Yes, net can imply connectivity and interchange, especially in digital and communication contexts.
Is the structure of a net always open?
Typically, a net has an open structure, but the size of the openings can vary greatly depending on its purpose.
Is screen used as a verb?
Yes, to screen can mean to show a movie or to examine or check something methodically.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
