What is the name for an abandoned spider web?

An abandoned spider web is called a cobweb. In everyday English, the word usually describes a web that is no longer maintained, often appearing dusty or neglected.

The distinction comes from how people observe webs in homes and buildings. A fresh, intact web is commonly called a spider web, while an old web may collect dust after its spider has left or stopped repairing it. The spider itself may have died, moved elsewhere, or simply abandoned that particular site.

The word “cobweb” has an older linguistic history: “cob” was once associated with a spider, and the term evolved into its modern meaning. Scientists also use “cobweb” in a more specific way for the tangled, three-dimensional webs made by many spiders in the family Theridiidae, which includes cobweb spiders.

Not every spider makes a web, and not every web is designed to catch prey. Some spiders hunt actively, while others use silk for shelter, egg sacs, safety lines, or travel. So a dusty web is the usual household meaning, not a complete definition of spider behavior.