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

But people in the country legally also have been caught in Trump’s dragnet. —Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

Los Angeles leaders impose curfew as protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown continue The California governor accused Trump of drawing a ‘military dragnet’ across the nation’s second largest city. —Emma K. Dashnaw, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025

Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025

To understand how the deportation dragnet works, TIME joined ICE officers on a pair of morning raids in the New Orleans area. —Eric Cortellessa, Time, 10 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for dragnet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• 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