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 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
Wide swaths of the population will get caught up in the dragnets.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 6 Dec. 2024
The arrest of Mangione on Monday came as dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day.
—Cedar Attanasio and Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dragnet 
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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
Wide swaths of the population will get caught up in the dragnets.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 6 Dec. 2024
The arrest of Mangione on Monday came as dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day.
—Cedar Attanasio and Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
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 18 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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