dredge

1 of 3

verb (1)

dredged; dredging

transitive verb

1
a
: to dig, gather, or pull out with or as if with a dredge (see dredge entry 2)
dredging oysters in the bay
often used with up
dredge up silt from the canal bottom
b
civil engineering : to deepen (a waterway) with a machine that removes earth usually by buckets on an endless chain or a suction tube : to deepen with a dredge (see dredge entry 2 sense 2)
2
: to bring to light by deep searching
often used with up
dredging up memories

intransitive verb

1
: to use a dredge
dredging for oysters
2
: to search deeply

dredge

2 of 3

noun

1
: an apparatus usually in the form of an oblong iron frame with an attached bag net used especially for gathering fish and shellfish
2
civil engineering : a machine for removing earth usually by buckets on an endless chain or a suction tube
3
nautical : a barge used in dredging

dredge

3 of 3

verb (2)

dredged; dredging

transitive verb

: to coat by sprinkling (as with flour)
dredge the chicken in flour
The fish is dredged with a cornmeal mixture and fried.

Examples of dredge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Another factor is dredging, according to Stephen Murphy, an assistant professor at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the director of the university's Disaster Management Program. Kevin McGill and Stephen Smith The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2023 As rising sea levels shrink shorelines, some communities rely on sand dredged from the nearby seafloor to replenish beaches. Justine Calma, The Verge, 5 Sep. 2023 Dip in egg mixture, allowing excess drip, and dredge in panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Julia Levy, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2023 The supervisors unanimously directed $5 million to build a sediment-and-trash-control basin and dredge drainage channels in the Tijuana River Valley, according to Tammy Murga of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2023 The lower Mississippi is frequently dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make way for huge cargo ships serving ports vital to the Louisiana and national economies. Kevin McGill and Stephen Smith The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2023 Other contributors besides climate change can affect saltwater intrusion, such as how the river is dredged, seasonal variability, and other weather patterns such as El Niño. Isa Meyers, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2023 Toss chicken in egg mixture to coat, and then back to flour mixture to dredge again. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2023 The brown paper bag method of dredging the tomatoes is a distinctively (and utterly charming) Southern approach. Jessica B. Harris, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2023
Noun
After a quick panko dredge, they are fried in batches until deeply golden brown. Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appétit, 29 Nov. 2023 Working with 1 ball at a time, dredge in flour, and shake off excess. Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2023 The notice advised mariners to expect low water conditions to continue until the Mississippi River rises, or until the second dredge, expected to arrive on October 21, completes work in the area. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2023 Despite the warnings, scallop dredges and trawlers regularly encroach on the 400-foot buffer zones around wrecks. Laura Trethewey, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2023 Make the dredge station: In one bowl, combine the buttermilk, cayenne pepper, and egg. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2023 Below, crews pulled up the metal dredge to check for jammed logs and rock as giant generators hummed. USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023 Scallop dredges are heavy, metal contraptions that can plow right through a rotting shipwreck. Laura Trethewey, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2023 So did longer offshore vessels towing two side-by-side dredges, spanning roughly 30 feet. Laura Trethewey, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb (1)

perhaps from Old English *drecge; akin to Old English dræge dragnet, dragan to draw

Verb (2)

obsolete dredge, noun, sweetmeat, from Middle English drage, drege, from Anglo-French dragee, modification of Latin tragemata sweetmeats, from Greek tragēmata, plural of tragēma sweetmeat, from trōgein to gnaw

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1508, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dredge was in 1508

Dictionary Entries Near dredge

Cite this Entry

“Dredge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dredge. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

dredge

1 of 3 verb
dredged; dredging
1
a
: to dig, gather, or pull out with or as if with a dredge
dredged up scallops from the sea bottom
b
: to deepen (as a waterway) with a dredge
2
: to bring to light by deep searching
dredging up memories

dredge

2 of 3 noun
1
: an iron frame with an attached net used especially to catch fish or shellfish
2
: a machine for removing earth usually by buckets on a continuous chain or by a suction tube

dredge

3 of 3 verb
dredged; dredging
: to coat (food) by sprinkling (as with flour)
Etymology

Noun

probably from Old English dragan "to pull, drag"

Verb

from obsolete dredge (noun) "a candied fruit," derived from early French dragee (same meaning), from Latin tragemata (plural) "candied fruits," from Greek tragēmata (same meaning), derived from trōgein "to gnaw"

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