drift net

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.

Words nearby drift net

drift angle, drift ice, drift indicator, drift lead, drift mine, drift net, drift netter, drift transistor, drift tube, driftage, driftbolt

Origin of drift net

First recorded in 1840–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for drift net

The herring-fishery is regulated by Act of Parliament, and the legal mode of capture is by means of what is called a drift-net.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier
The drift-net is made of fine twine, marked with squares of an inch each to allow for the escape of the young fish.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier
The drift-net lay out for a mile along the water, its brown corks heaving gently, at regular intervals.
Spiritual Adventures|Arthur Symons
As mackerel are very voracious, they greedily devour all sorts of bait, but they are chiefly taken by the drift-net.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier

At most times they keep out at sea, where the hardy fishermen make use of the drift-net.
Michael Penguyne|William H. G. Kingston

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