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
Pound the chicken cutlets lightly to an even thickness before dredging to ensure uniform cooking and prevent dry edges.
—
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
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
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
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
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
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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The United States, searching for self-definition but loath to lose its illusions—its innocence—needed all of this as a counterpoint.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The real estate online search giant, which offers both purchase and rental listings, looked at who was searching for a new place in February.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Then the Solar System Dynamics Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory analyzes the objects that will come closest to Earth, using infrared-scanning telescopes such as NEOWISE to estimate the size of asteroids, especially darker ones that are difficult to see in the visible spectrum.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 May 2026
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Post-cycling analysis to evaluate condition The researchers also performed post-cycling analysis after 50 cycles, using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to evaluate the condition of the electrodes.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The show is a culinary guessing game, where bakers must decode and decipher what type of dessert was made after surveying small clues like crumbs and food trails.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
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Many of us have dreamed of stepping into Carrie Bradshaw’s walk-in closet and surveying a sea of Manolo Blahnik shoe boxes.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Aerial footage showed officers with guns drawn, combing the campus grounds.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The day after a man opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, authorities are combing through a message sent by the shooting suspect, seeking to understand what allegedly led him from his life as a respected California teacher to a would-be assassin.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This is about finding a better balance.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
The amount of debris caused the delay in finding the second body.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Tourists and scientists want to know On Thursday, three tractors spent more than an hour raking the beach at South Pointe Park in Miami Beach as beachgoers weaved around them, stepping over thick piles of sargassum that turned the shoreline water a murky brown.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
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Prepare the planting bed by removing weeds and raking the soil even.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dredging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dredging. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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