drift net

noun

: a fishing net often miles in extent arranged to drift with the tide or current and buoyed up by floats or attached to a boat

Examples of drift net in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The group's dramatic video is punctuated by the image of a seal caught in a drift net. Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, 27 Apr. 2018 Even at the one big bright spot at Bristol Bay, where another big sockeye catch of more than 37 million fish is expected, the value of drift net permits has stalled in the $150,000 range. Laine Welch, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Apr. 2018 Several good salmon years have piqued interest in that fishery and boosted drift net values to over $160,000 with listings few and far between. Laine Welch, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drift net was in 1662

Dictionary Entries Near drift net

Cite this Entry

“Drift net.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drift%20net. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on drift net

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!