drift net

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noun

a fishing net supported upright in the water by floats attached along the upper edge and sinkers along the lower, so as to be carried with the current or tide.

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Origin of drift net

First recorded in 1840–50

Words nearby drift net

drift ice, drift indicator, drift lead, driftless area, drift mine, drift net, drift netter, driftpin, drift transistor, drift tube, driftwood

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

How to use drift net in a sentence

“Hence, there might be a net benefit, at least to some females, of breeding within the natal group,” the researchers speculate.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The outcome of the rum feud is critical for both Bacardi and Pernod Ricard, because the winner could net billions in future sales.
Why Congress Hates Your Cuban Rum|Tim Mak|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Initially these were individuals “from higher net worth circles,” he says, especially as the site launched with benefit auctions.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the recession net immigration to the U.S. from Mexico fell to zero or less.
The Case for More Low-Skill Immigration|Veronique de Rugy|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Is he the type of character who would ever join the group permanently, or is he more of a drift-in, drift-out kind of guy?
‘Walking Dead’ Showrunner Scott Gimple Teases ‘Darker, Weirder’ Times Ahead|Melissa Leon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Specimens were easily collected in a mist net placed across the opening.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
But what if I catch the fish by using a hired boat and a hired net, or by buying worms as bait from some one who has dug them?
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
They stopped, leaning over a jagged fence made of sea-drift, to ask for water.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Quite a number of sandeaters, as time passed, seemed to drift in and out of the back room.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
When it was all over Alila was not too tired to play for awhile with a few locusts he had caught in a net.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade

British Dictionary definitions for drift net

drift net

noun

a large fishing net supported by floats or attached to a drifter that is allowed to drift with the tide or current

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