dragnet

[ drag-net ]

/ ˈdrægˌnɛt /

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noun

a net to be drawn along the bottom of a river, pond, etc., or along the ground, to catch fish, small game, etc.

a system or network for finding or catching someone, as a criminal wanted by the police.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of dragnet

Middle English word dating back to 1535–45; see origin at drag, net¹, dray

Words nearby dragnet

drag king, draglift, dragline, dragline crane, drag link, dragnet, Drago, dragoman, dragon, dragon beam, drag one's ass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dragnet in a sentence

The federal government sent a surge of intelligence and security forces to the southern border in what it dubbed Operation Secure Line, which ultimately led to the dragnet interrogations.
A Secretive Counterterrorism Team Interrogated Dozens of Citizens at the Border, Government Report Finds|by Dara Lind|October 11, 2021|ProPublica
It appears more certain than ever that Beijing’s talk of laying down “red lines” is not intended to delineate limits of speech, but rather to ensnare opponents in a giant red dragnet.
Hong Kong’s first national security law verdict shows Beijing’s “red line” has become a red net|Mary Hui|July 28, 2021|Quartz
“California casts a dragnet for sensitive donor information from tens of thousands of charities each year, even though that information will become relevant in only a small number of cases involving filed complaints,” Roberts wrote.
Supreme Court strikes down Calif. law requiring charities to disclose top donors to attorney general|Robert Barnes|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
Software like Palantir’s casts a digital dragnet, with real-world implications, even if it exists out of sight.
Local Law Enforcement Quiet on Relationships With ‘Predictive Policing’ Company|Jesse Marx|February 2, 2021|Voice of San Diego

However, the law has acted as a dragnet with miserable unintended consequences.
Why 'Accidental Americans' Are Desperate to Give Up Their U.S. Citizenship|Vivienne Walt|December 22, 2020|Time
A new book “Dragnet Nation” asks hard questions about our online lives.
They Want to Know Everything About You|Jake Whitney|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are stretches in Dragnet Nation that are too obviously designed to scare, and parts feel paranoid.
They Want to Know Everything About You|Jake Whitney|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Julia Angwin notes in her new book, Dragnet Nation, the watershed year for tracking was 2001.
They Want to Know Everything About You|Jake Whitney|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were arrested at Cairo's Ramses Square on August 16, caught up in the dragnet of a mass arrest carried out by the military.
Interview With Canadian Filmmaker John Greyson Following His Release from Cairo's Tora Prison|Jesse Rosenfeld|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The companies implicated in the surveillance dragnet have mostly denied any involvement.
How Did Edward Snowden, a Contractor, Get Access to Classified Data?|Laura Colarusso|June 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He had thrown out a dragnet of detectives and every suspicious character in the city was passing through it or landing in prison.
The Southerner|Thomas Dixon
The Indulgence was a dragnet, drawing large hauls of hungry fish, and leaving them to squirm on the shores of sinful compromises.
Sketches of the Covenanters|J. C. McFeeters
I thank you cordially for the police protection afforded me while the chief had his dragnet in operation.
The Black Star|Johnston McCulley
It moved on unostentatiously to other parts of the city and around it the Ranger dragnet tightened.
Uncle Sam Detective|William Atherton Du Puy
Gard immediately called upon the Chicago police to throw out a dragnet and a general alarm, and this was done.
Uncle Sam Detective|William Atherton Du Puy

British Dictionary definitions for dragnet

dragnet

/ (ˈdræɡˌnɛt) /

noun

a heavy or weighted net used to scour the bottom of a pond, river, etc, as when searching for something

any system of coordinated efforts by police forces to track down wanted persons

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dragnet

Origin of dragnet

Words nearby dragnet

Words related to dragnet

How to use dragnet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dragnet