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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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