magnet
n.-
1 metal attractor (n.) A2 Elementary Sciencea piece of iron or steel that can pull other metal objects toward it.
an object that produces a magnetic field, attracting iron, steel, and other ferromagnetic materials.
ExampleThe children used a magnet to pick up the paperclips from the floor.
ExampleThe industrial magnet was powerful enough to lift several tons of scrap metal from the shipping container in a single movement.
- lodestone
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2 person or place that attracts (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Informala person or place that attracts many people or things.
a person, place, or entity that exerts a powerful attraction or influence over others.
ExampleThe new shopping mall is a magnet for teenagers on the weekend.
ExampleThe city has become a magnet for tech startups, offering tax incentives and a highly skilled workforce to attract global investment.
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3 internet download link (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Computinga type of link used on the internet to download files directly.
a URI scheme used to identify files by their content hash rather than their location, common in peer-to-peer file sharing.
ExampleInstead of downloading a small file first, he just clicked the magnet to start the transfer.
ExampleThe site provides magnets for all its open-source distributions, allowing users to verify the integrity of the data through cryptographic hashes.
UsageOften used as an ellipsis for 'magnet link'.
- magnet link
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.