networking

networking — noun

1. meeting and talking with people at professional or social events to build helpfu

1.nounB1
Definition

meeting and talking with people at professional or social events to build helpful connections for your career or business

Example

Naoko went to the conference mainly for networking rather than the official talks.

networking as a purpose (for + noun)

The business lunch gave the young entrepreneurs a good networking opportunity with local investors.

collocation: networking opportunity

Common collocations
  • networking event
  • networking opportunity
  • networking skills
  • business networking
  • professional networking
  • networking group
  • networking session
Synonyms
  • socialising

    broader — includes non-work social contact; networking implies a career or business purpose

  • connecting

    more general; can refer to any kind of relationship-building, not just professional

  • schmoozing

    informal and slightly negative; suggests insincere flattery to gain advantage

Grammar Patterns

networking + noun (event, opportunity, skills)

Usage Note

Often used attributively before nouns like event, opportunity, or skills to describe things related to building professional contacts. Unlike the verb to network, which emphasises the action at a specific moment, the noun networking describes the general activity or practice.

Common Mistakes

I went to a networking last night.
I went to a networking event last night.
Networking is an uncountable activity, not a countable event; you need event or session after it.
She is doing some networkings this week.
She is doing some networking this week.
Networking is uncountable; it has no plural form.

2. the process of linking two or more computers or electronic devices for exchangin

2.nounB1
Definition

the process of linking two or more computers or electronic devices for exchanging data and sharing resources such as files, printers, or internet access

Example

The office IT team is responsible for all the networking and server maintenance.

networking as an IT domain: the + networking

Karim installed new networking equipment so that every branch office could share data securely.

collocation: networking equipment

Common collocations
  • networking equipment
  • networking system
  • networking software
  • networking hardware
  • wireless networking
  • computer networking
  • networking solution
  • networking cable
Synonyms
  • network infrastructure

    refers to the physical and logical components themselves, not the process of connecting them

  • data communication

    a broader technical field that includes networking but also covers transmission protocols and hardware

Grammar Patterns

networking + noun (equipment, system, solution)

Usage Note

Commonly used before equipment-related nouns (networking hardware, networking cable, networking solution) to describe products or infrastructure. The -ing form refers to the field or process as a whole, not an ongoing action — compare the gerund to a simple noun like plumbing or wiring.

Common Mistakes

The networking is slow today.
The network is slow today.
Networking refers to the field or system in general; the actual connection speed is a property of the network.

❌ 'I studied computer networking for two years.' (correct) — This sentence is fine; networking here means the academic/professional field.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Networking, socialising, connecting, and schmoozing all describe interactions between people, but they differ in purpose and tone. Networking is specifically about building professional contacts for career or business advantage — it is purposeful and strategic. Socialising is broader and often recreational; you socialise with friends without any work goal. Connecting can be used in both personal and professional settings and is more neutral and gentle than networking. Schmoozing is informal and often negative: it suggests talking in a flattering or insincere way to win favours. A job seeker networks at a conference; friends socialise at a barbecue; two colleagues connect over a shared hobby; a salesperson schmoozes a potential client at a cocktail party.

networking ↗socialising ↗connectingschmoozing

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • face to face
  • online
  • over coffee
  • at a conference

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Networking comes from network (net + work) combined with the suffix -ing, which turns the verb network into a noun naming the activity. The word network first appeared in the 1500s, meaning a fabric or structure made of threads arranged like a net. By the 1800s it was used for any interconnected system — railways, canals, telegraph lines. The computing sense of network emerged in the 1960s with the development of linked computer systems, and the noun networking followed soon after to describe the process of creating such connections. The social-professional meaning of networking appeared in the 1980s, drawing a metaphor from the idea of an interconnected web of useful contacts.