The net force is the overall effective force acting on an object, and is found by adding up all the individual forces acting on the object. This is also known as the resultant force. Balancing Forces

The vector sum of all forces acting upon an object.

Vector sum of forces on an object. If you have a force of 2N to the west, and 3N to the east, the vectors add up to 1N to the east. The net force then is 1N.