magnet piece of metal which attracts other metal objects I once saw a woman whose job it was to make small bar magnets from steel blanks about two inches long . Magnets are stuck onto the back of stiff paper shapes by a strip of Sellotape . The magnetsare expensive and lose their magnetism if banged or dropped too many times Cobalt compounds are also used in semi-conductor manufacture and to coat storage battery electrodes . A major use is in making permanent magnets . sb or sth which exerts an attractionLarge cities are powerful magnets attracting a great many people . He kept on heading west , lured by the magnet of Hawaii . If however , you're here to be a beach bum , then the beautiful stretch of white sand contrasted against the clear blue sea is a definite magnet for all keen sun-worshippers . for After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 , Egypt became an exotic magnet for the Victorian tourist . I sometimes feel I'm a magnet for trouble .