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

The lawsuit could place Trump’s DOJ in the position of either defending the prior administration’s largest criminal dragnet or paying restitution to some of the most infamous figures from the Capitol riot. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025

So, some of them have been altering the language on their websites in the hope of avoiding this digital dragnet. —Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025

The dragnet also collected proprietary information belonging to Tesla, Blue Origin, Amgen, Merck, Pfizer, Roche, and dozens of other companies. —ArsTechnica, 9 July 2025

Allowing those militarized agents to make dragnet abductions and warrantless arrests and detain people without due process. —Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 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