dragnet

noun

drag·​net ˈdrag-ˌnet How to pronounce dragnet (audio)
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 Some have complained they were falsely caught up in a dragnet. The Arizona Republic, 16 Jan. 2024 Ayala is not the first political figure to be swept up in the Jan. 6 dragnet. Tom Jackman, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024 The courts can and should decide whether this warrantless digital dragnet complies with the Constitution. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 22 Feb. 2023 Muñoz feared her husband would get caught in the dragnet. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 During debate in the Texas House in November, GOP state Rep. David Spiller pushed back against concerns that the law would be used as a dragnet to arrest immigrants statewide. Valerie Gonzalez and Paul J. Weber, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2023 This is a long-running dragnet surveillance program in which the White House pays AT&T to provide all federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies the ability to request often-warrantless searches of trillions of domestic phone records. Dell Cameron, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2023 The other was taken out a day later thanks to an international police dragnet. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2023 Mark Kelly Small businesses are often hit hardest by regulation, and the latest federal dragnet is no exception. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 19 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dragnet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dragnet was circa 1541

Dictionary Entries Near dragnet

Cite this Entry

“Dragnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragnet. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dragnet

noun
drag·​net ˈdrag-ˌnet How to pronounce dragnet (audio)
1
: a net dragged along the bottom of a body of water
2
: a series of planned actions for catching a criminal

More from Merriam-Webster on dragnet

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