network
To interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. It involves building and maintaining a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.
Examples
3 of 5I went to the local meet-up to network with other small business owners in the area.
I attended the local gathering to meet and share information with other small business owners.
The international symposium provides an excellent platform for scholars to network and discuss future research.
The global conference offers a great chance for academics to connect and talk about their work.
I'm just going to grab a drink and network for a bit before the main event starts.
I will get a drink and talk to some people before the event begins.
Antonyms
Word Family
Memory Tip
Visualize a 'net' catching 'work' opportunities. The more you network, the bigger your net becomes, and the more work opportunities you catch.
Quick Quiz
At the conference, Sarah managed to ________ with several CEOs from leading tech companies.
Correct!
The correct answer is: network
Examples
I went to the local meet-up to network with other small business owners in the area.
everydayI attended the local gathering to meet and share information with other small business owners.
The international symposium provides an excellent platform for scholars to network and discuss future research.
formalThe global conference offers a great chance for academics to connect and talk about their work.
I'm just going to grab a drink and network for a bit before the main event starts.
informalI will get a drink and talk to some people before the event begins.
Graduate students are encouraged to network extensively at academic conferences to improve their job prospects.
academicStudents are told to make many professional contacts at conferences to help them find jobs later.
Effective sales managers know how to network within their industry to identify new leads.
businessGood sales managers understand how to build professional relationships to find new customers.
Antonyms
Word Family
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
build a network
to start and grow a group of professional contacts
old boy network
an informal system through which men use their positions to help others who went to the same school
tap into a network
to make use of an existing system of contacts
Often Confused With
'Connect' is a general term for joining things, whereas 'network' specifically implies building relationships for professional or social benefit.
Broadcasting is sending information to a wide audience, while networking is a two-way exchange of information.
Usage Notes
The verb 'network' is most commonly used in professional contexts regarding career growth. While it can also refer to connecting computers together, in IELTS and general B2 English, it usually refers to human interaction.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes use 'network' as a transitive verb (e.g., 'I networked him'), but it is usually intransitive followed by 'with' (e.g., 'I networked with him').
Memory Tip
Visualize a 'net' catching 'work' opportunities. The more you network, the bigger your net becomes, and the more work opportunities you catch.
Word Origin
Originally from 'net' (an openwork fabric) + 'work', first used in the 16th century to describe things resembling nets, and later applied to social connections in the 1940s.
Grammar Patterns
Cultural Context
In many Western corporate cultures, networking is considered a vital 'soft skill' that is just as important as technical qualifications for career success.
Quick Quiz
At the conference, Sarah managed to ________ with several CEOs from leading tech companies.
Correct!
The correct answer is: network
Related Grammar Rules
Related Vocabulary
Collaboration is the act of two or more people working toget...
connectionA connection is when you change from one bus, train, or plan...
communityA community is a group of people who live in the same area o...
relationshipA relationship is the way two or more people or groups feel...
Related Words
to
A1Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward. It can also mark the recipient of an action or the limit of a range.
and
A1A primary conjunction used to connect words, phrases, or clauses that are grammatically equal. It indicates addition, a sequence of events, or a relationship between two things.
a
A1A word used before a singular noun that is not specific or is being mentioned for the first time. It is used only before words that begin with a consonant sound to indicate one of something.
that
A1This word is a demonstrative pronoun used to indicate a specific person, object, or idea that is further away in space or time from the speaker. It is also used to refer back to something that has already been mentioned or to introduce a clause that identifies something.
I
A1The pronoun 'I' is used by a speaker or writer to refer to themselves as the subject of a verb. It is the first-person singular subject pronoun in English and is always capitalized regardless of its position in a sentence.
for
A1Used to show who is intended to have or use something, or to explain the purpose or reason for an action. It is also frequently used to indicate a specific duration of time.
not
A1A function word used to express negation or denial. It is primarily used to make a sentence or phrase negative, often following an auxiliary verb or the verb 'to be'.
with
A1A preposition used to indicate that people or things are together, in the same place, or performing an action together. It can also describe the instrument used to perform an action or a characteristic that someone or something has.
he
A1A pronoun used to refer to a male person or animal that has already been mentioned or is easily identified. It functions as the subject of a sentence.
you
A1Used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing. It is the second-person pronoun used for both singular and plural subjects and objects.
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