seine

1 of 2

noun

: a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water and is used to enclose and catch fish when its ends are pulled together or are drawn ashore

seine

2 of 2

verb

seined; seining

intransitive verb

: to fish with or catch fish with a seine

transitive verb

: to fish for or in with a seine

Examples of seine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Bag seine and trawl net surveys will give a representation of reproduction efforts. Matt Watt, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Mar. 2021 Another excellent tool for insect collection is a seine, which you can jury-rig by tying your shirt or handkerchief between two poles. Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 26 June 2020 In 1870, fishermen were hauling an average of 65 sturgeon from every seine. Andrew S. Lewis, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023 In November 1983, in the cold, rough waters off Berufjördur, Icelander Helgi Jonasson drew a large purse-seine net around a group of killer whales. Tim Zimmermann, Outside Online, 30 July 2010 Southern flounder have suffered a precipitous, long-term decline for decades, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department data such as seine bag and gill net surveys. Matt Wyatt, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Nov. 2021 The boat had caught too many fish and the encircling wall of the purse-seine net was broke as it was being closed and winched up, releasing tons of crushed and suffocated animals. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2021 Boats with electric fishing equipment and underwater speakers then herded the carp into smaller and smaller cells, until they were all pulled up with a commercial seine fishing net. Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 9 Apr. 2021 The seine fleet this year has a harvest of 33,304 tons (nearly 67 million pounds), but managers predict low participation and limited processing capacity. Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2021
Verb
The invasive fish that can live without water for days was caught on May 19 while seining for bait at Duck Creek Conservation Area in Wayne County, said the MDC. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 26 June 2023 Other quotas go to seine, gillnets, recreational and subsistence fisheries, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2022 Likewise, seine permits at Kodiak have been on a steady rise from the mid-$30,000 range up to $40,000 since the season ended. Laine Welch | Fish Factor, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Oct. 2021 Nina mentioned the recent rain, which had interrupted berry picking and caused the ladies to cease seining for whitefish. Seth Kantner, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Dec. 2019 Seining the Lagoon at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Jennifer Jhon, South Florida Parenting, 17 May 2017 The seining Illinois creeks class for high school students will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. May 13. Barbara Benson, chicagotribune.com, 4 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seine.' 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

Middle English, from Old English segne, from Latin sagena, from Greek sagēnē

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1836, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of seine was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near seine

Cite this Entry

“Seine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

seine

1 of 2 noun
: a large fishing net kept hanging in the water by weights and floats

seine

2 of 2 verb
seined; seining
: to fish with or catch with a seine

Geographical Definition

Seine

geographical name

ˈsān How to pronounce Seine (audio)
ˈsen
river 480 miles (772 kilometers) long in northern France flowing northwest into the Bay of the Seine (inlet of the English Channel)
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