Netting is a fabric made of thread, string, or rope woven together with regular open spaces between the strands, like a grid with holes. Think of a fishing net, a soccer goal, or the mesh bag that holds oranges at the grocery store. All of these use netting to create a flexible material that can catch, hold, or protect things while still allowing air, water, or light to pass through.

Netting serves countless purposes. Fishers use strong netting to catch fish. Gymnasts practice over safety netting that will catch them if they fall. Gardeners drape netting over berry bushes to keep birds from eating the fruit. Tennis and volleyball couldn't exist without the netting stretched across the middle of the court.

The pattern of holes makes netting useful in ways that solid fabric isn't. A solid bag would trap moisture and make fruit rot, but a net bag lets air circulate. A solid wall would block your view of a soccer game, but goal netting stops the ball while letting you see right through it. The strength comes from how the strands connect at each intersection, distributing force across the whole structure rather than putting stress on a single point.