as in searching
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
I've been dredging my memory bank, and I simply can't remember her name
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Recent Examples of dredging
The project would extend Osceola's slack-water harbor by 3,000 feet by dredging out 620,000 cubic yards of material.
—
Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2025
The fact that Ryan Murphy’s American Love Story is shooting in the neighborhood is dredging everything back up again.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
The changes a deepwater port could bring The Army Corps of Engineers this month issued a $400 million contract to begin the first phase of the port project, which will ultimately include dredging sediment from the ocean so bigger ships can dock.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Additional land could come from dredging the lake.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Or she’d fry okra after dredging it in fine cornmeal.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
It would be leaked to Seymour Hersh in 1974; by then, the man who had pulled the report together for Schlesinger, William Colby, was DCI, but Schlesinger was blamed for dredging it all up in the first place.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2020
Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2025
The fact that Ryan Murphy’s American Love Story is shooting in the neighborhood is dredging everything back up again.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
The changes a deepwater port could bring The Army Corps of Engineers this month issued a $400 million contract to begin the first phase of the port project, which will ultimately include dredging sediment from the ocean so bigger ships can dock.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Additional land could come from dredging the lake.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Or she’d fry okra after dredging it in fine cornmeal.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
It would be leaked to Seymour Hersh in 1974; by then, the man who had pulled the report together for Schlesinger, William Colby, was DCI, but Schlesinger was blamed for dredging it all up in the first place.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dredging
Verb
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Investigators are collecting evidence and searching for witnesses.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
24 Sep. 2025
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Seoul-searching the sights The energetic neighborhood of Myeongdong serves as a central place from which to explore Seoul, and fortunately, it’s featured heavily in the film.—
Ali Wunderman,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The first of the digital chores is scanning.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Maye’s eyes darted around, scanning the field for open receivers.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While surveying bird species on Marambaia Island in the state of Rio de Janeiro, researchers trapped a single veery in a mist net.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
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When speaking to and surveying end-users about security tools and policies, a few themes frequently arise.—
Eyal Benishti,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Will is basically subbing Katie in for Sylvia, consulting her for help in combing through Terry’s Instagram to look for clues that something is going on with Jenna.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
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The next morning, Day 5, the skies cleared and the 112 searchers combing the mountain that day postholed through as much as 18 inches of fresh powder.—
Ted Katauskas,
Outside,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This disruption fueled a crisis in teacher turnover and burnout, with one survey finding that nearly a quarter of all teachers were considering leaving or retiring because of COVID-19 lockdowns.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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What matters is what works for individual couples and finding a balance between together and alone time.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Strong obliques stabilize your trunk during single-leg movements and help transfer force from your lower body to your upper body — essential in sports like tennis, baseball and golf, but just as important when raking leaves, shoveling snow or carrying groceries.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
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Using ironing cloths and a few leaves leftover from raking your yard, iron the leaves onto 8-by-8-inch squares of wax paper.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dredging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dredging. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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