Link Centre Dictionary

dragnet

drag·net

US/ˈdɹæɡˌnɛt/ rare

noun

1.

a system of coordinated measures for apprehending (criminals or other individuals)

  • “caught in the police dragnet”
2.

a conical fishnet dragged through the water at great depths

Synonyms

Origin

From drag + net, probably based on the model of Middle English draynet, dreynett (“dragnet”), Old English dræġnet, dræġnett (“dragnet”), equivalent to dray + net. Cognate with Swedish dragnät, Norwegian dragnett, from Icelandic dragnet.

Phrases

  • dragnet mortgage

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.