From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_212_amagnetmag‧net /ˈmæɡnɪt/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 DTa piece of iron or steel that can stick to metal or make other metal objects move towards itself → magnetism2 
ATTRACTsomething or someone that attracts many people or things → magnetismmagnet for The region has become a magnet for small businesses.attract/draw somebody/something like a magnet She drew men to her like a magnet.babe/chick magnet informal (=a man who is attractive to women)
ATTRACTsomething or someone that attracts many people or things → magnetismmagnet for The region has become a magnet for small businesses.attract/draw somebody/something like a magnet She drew men to her like a magnet.babe/chick magnet informal (=a man who is attractive to women)Examples from the Corpus
magnet• The centre of town seemed to draw them back like a magnet.• Most are attracted by the splendour of the city's colleges, but they also prove a magnet for organised crime.• The metal was a magnet that attracted people from all over the world.• Take care with the magnets by the way, as allowing them to snap together causes them to break.• This magnet for unwanted paper will fill up and overflow with monotonous regularity and should be abolished.• Ever notice what a visual magnet a mirror is?attract/draw somebody/something like a magnet• The sudden warmth, meagre though it was, drew Isabel like a magnet.• A place for all kinds of wildlife to stop off and drink, it will attract them like a magnet.Origin magnet (1400-1500) Old French magnete, from Latin magnes, from Greek magnes (lithos) “(stone) of Magnesia”, ancient city in Turkey 