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
One of the reasons cited is the need for dredging the marina entrance to Lake Michigan.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
In the legend, Yu, a heroic figure, saved Chinese civilization from decades of devastating floods by dredging rivers and waterways.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Pickleball courts, golf course to remain open Plans for the project include dredging the lake, repairing the concrete and foundation at the dam, and replacing a culvert near Flatwoods Road Cove with a bridge.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Sep. 2025
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
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
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
In the legend, Yu, a heroic figure, saved Chinese civilization from decades of devastating floods by dredging rivers and waterways.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Pickleball courts, golf course to remain open Plans for the project include dredging the lake, repairing the concrete and foundation at the dam, and replacing a culvert near Flatwoods Road Cove with a bridge.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Sep. 2025
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
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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Choreographer Meg Stuart was brought aboard the production to tease out these specifics that Mundruczó was searching for in his scenes.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
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The friends huddled together in the romantasy section, a genre mix of romance and fantasy, searching for their next book club read.—
Iris Sanchez,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The drones automatically adapt scanning parameters based on environmental conditions while stabilizing flight to counter strong airflow inside freezer aisles.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Once active, nearby cameras begin scanning automatically.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ed Cooley’s head was on a swivel during the national anthem Saturday night, surveying the crowd at Gampel Pavilion.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
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After surveying the market and their meager remaining financial resources, the Rangers signed Canha to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Investigators are combing through tens of thousands of tips and poring over evidence, including analyzing DNA on a glove found near Guthrie’s home and investigating a backpack seen in a video of the suspect.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Investigators have determined that most of the gloves belonged to searchers combing the area for evidence.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The grim news out of Tucson is that, thirteen days into the search for Nancy Guthrie, the odds of finding her alive have been dropping by the hour.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The impact is expected to hit the bottom of the employment pyramid hardest, with research finding big drops in hiring among 22- to 25-year-olds in tech and customer service, The Economist reported.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Just ask DePaul-area resident Janice Hughes, who claims she was rear-ended by a Coco robot while raking the parkway in front of her home.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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The idea is to have Arraez raking throughout and worry about untenable defense when you’re forced to.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dredging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dredging. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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