dragnet
noun
drag·net
ˈdrag-ˌnet 
1
a
: a net drawn along the bottom of a body of water
b
: a net used on the ground (as to capture small game)
2
: a network of measures for apprehension (as of criminals)
Examples of dragnet in a Sentence
Nine suspects were caught in the police dragnet.
Recent Examples on the Web
The messages said the U.S. Border Patrol was conducting an indiscriminate dragnet in the area, pulling over vehicles presumed to be carrying immigrants to work and taking dozens into custody.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Lula’s prosecution was part of Operation Car Wash, Brazil’s biggest-ever anticorruption dragnet.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 16 Jan. 2025
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and other civil liberties organizations have had to fight in court time and again to try to expose even the most basic frameworks of global dragnet surveillance and the rules that govern it.
—Matthew Guariglia, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
In fact, the NSA’s digital dragnet has never been as sweeping as its most vocal critics like to insinuate, and Congress amended FISA in 2008 to ensure that the agency’s data collection was carefully circumscribed and reviewed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
—Jane Harman, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015
See all Example Sentences for dragnet 
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Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Lula’s prosecution was part of Operation Car Wash, Brazil’s biggest-ever anticorruption dragnet.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 16 Jan. 2025
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and other civil liberties organizations have had to fight in court time and again to try to expose even the most basic frameworks of global dragnet surveillance and the rules that govern it.
—Matthew Guariglia, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
In fact, the NSA’s digital dragnet has never been as sweeping as its most vocal critics like to insinuate, and Congress amended FISA in 2008 to ensure that the agency’s data collection was carefully circumscribed and reviewed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
—Jane Harman, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015
See all Example Sentences for dragnet
Dictionary Entries Near dragnet
Cite this Entry
“Dragnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragnet. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dragnet
noun
drag·net
ˈdrag-ˌnet
1
: a net dragged along the bottom of a body of water
2
: a series of planned actions for catching a criminal
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