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

Based on a tragic true-life incident, director Joe Carnahan's survival thriller stars Zachary Levi as one of four friends who head out on a fishing expedition and their boat capsizes in a nasty storm. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

The principal cause is a large drop in the number of fishing expeditions in the state. —Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026

This doesn't mean that the plaintiff gets to go on a fishing expedition to see if there is any element to support his claims, but rather if the plaintiff can identify specific discovery that would make his case, then that should be allowed by the court in its discretion. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026

In the 34 years since that fishing expedition, Cleri hasn't gone into the ocean deeper than his waist. —Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 5 Jan. 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