fishing expedition

noun

1

law

a

: an interrogation or examination to discover information for a later proceeding

b

: an inquiry (as by the use of discovery in a lawsuit) that is unnecessarily extensive or unrelated to the issues

2

: an investigation that does not stick to a stated objective but hopes to uncover incriminating or newsworthy evidence

Examples of fishing expedition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The governor’s office characterized the investigation as a fishing expedition. — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Sometimes that critique is known as a fishing expedition, an unfocused and far-reaching hunt for any possible wrongdoing even if completely unrelated to the case. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 June 2026

Ferrell’s shirts are made of lightweight, durable materials that are billed as being able to withstand a long day on the ranch, a fishing expedition or a hunting trip and still look good at the rodeo. — Lily O'Neill, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Apr. 2026

Civil libertarians say geofences amount to fishing expeditions that subject many innocent people to searches of private records merely because their cellphones happened to be in the vicinity of a crime. — Arkansas Online, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fishing expedition

• superimposition
• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition

Legal Definition

fishing expedition

noun

fish·​ing ex·​pe·​di·​tion

-ˌek-spə-ˈdi-shən

1

: an inquiry (as by the use of discovery) that is unnecessarily extensive or unrelated to the lawsuit

2

: an investigation that does not stick to a stated objective but hopes to uncover incriminating or newsworthy evidence