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fishing expedition
noun
1
: a legal interrogation or examination to discover information for a later proceeding
2
: an investigation that does not stick to a stated objective but hopes to uncover incriminating or newsworthy evidence
Examples of fishing expedition in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Courts likely won’t indulge a legal fishing expedition Boston College Law School’s Quinn argues the Amazon rainforest analogy doesn’t constitute fraud, so long as Altman wasn’t actively shopping for chainsaws at the time.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2024
Named after the old-fashioned Gaelic name for the assisting attendant on highland hunting or fishing expeditions, Ghillie's Pantry is stocked with whisky for private tastings with in-house expert Dario, who will fling your taste buds all around Scotland, dram by dram.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2024
Joseph Mansfield, chief assistant Monroe County state attorney, told the Miami Herald that passengers on the boat told FWC investigators that the captain, 42-year-old Laurence Lewis, was drinking from a tequila bottle the entire fishing expedition.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024
There are snorkeling trips and fishing expeditions; the catch of which NaiSabah’s chef, Junior, prepares for dinner.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fishing expedition
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Word History
First Known Use
1874, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of fishing expedition was
in 1874
Dictionary Entries Near fishing expedition
Cite this Entry
“Fishing expedition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fishing%20expedition. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
fishing expedition
noun
fish·ing ex·pe·di·tion
-ˌek-spə-ˈdi-shən
1
: an inquiry (as by the use of discovery) that is unnecessarily extensive or unrelated to the lawsuit
2
: an investigation that does not stick to a stated objective but hopes to uncover incriminating or newsworthy evidence
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