dragnet

noun

drag·​net ˈdrag-ˌnet 

1

a

: a net drawn along the bottom of a body of water

b

: a net used on the ground (as to capture small game)

2

: a network of measures for apprehension (as of criminals)

Examples of dragnet in a Sentence

Nine suspects were caught in the police dragnet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Flock surveillance cameras are blanketing the country, and to no one’s surprise, innocent people are being caught in their dragnet. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 9 July 2026

Courtesy Cindy Stevens; Courtesy LaTisha Brown And in Ohio, where lawmakers are pursuing an aggressive Medicaid fraud crackdown, LaTisha Brown, 43, who has cerebral palsy, fears people with legitimate caregiving needs will be caught in the dragnet. — Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 June 2026

The records unsealed by a federal district court in Washington within the past month offer a window into how US authorities have used such digital dragnets in criminal investigations and how Google responded. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026

In collecting the communications of foreign nationals targeted by the intelligence community, Americans' information — including calls, texts and emails — can also be swept up in the dragnet. — Eric McDaniel, NPR, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for dragnet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

dragnet

noun

drag·​net ˈdrag-ˌnet 

1

: a net dragged along the bottom of a body of water

2

: a series of planned actions for catching a criminal