dragnet
Americannoun
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a net to be drawn along the bottom of a river, pond, etc., or along the ground, to catch fish, small game, etc.
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a system or network for finding or catching someone, as a criminal wanted by the police.
noun
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a heavy or weighted net used to scour the bottom of a pond, river, etc, as when searching for something
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any system of coordinated efforts by police forces to track down wanted persons
Etymology
Origin of dragnet
Middle English word dating back to 1535–45; see origin at drag, net 1, dray
Explanation
If you suddenly start noticing police officers around every corner, you might be watching a dragnet in progress. A dragnet is a coordinated attempt to catch a criminal. Dragnet originally referred to a kind of net for catching fish. It can now also indicate a less literal type of net: one that catches crooks. Police may use a dragnet if they know a wanted criminal is in a certain neighborhood. When cops set up a dragnet, they may call in extra officers, fence off areas from civilians, and arm themselves heavily. This word became famous because of the TV show Dragnet, which featured Sergeant Joe Friday.
Vocabulary lists containing dragnet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The DOJ invoked the presumption of regularity and argued his arrest was part of an anti-terrorism dragnet, which the judge threw out.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
But it abandoned the strategy because its legal dragnet swept up sympathetic targets such as single mothers and teenage girls, creating a public relations disaster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Historically, dragnet surveillance was difficult because searching large numbers of people required enormous time and labor.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
But in recent years the dragnet has become increasingly elastic.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
He’d had a conversation with Guitar some time ago about the dragnet.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
