dragnet
11
7.6
- noun
- /ˈdræɡnɛt/
- Literature
:
operativo policial
- Large-scale dragnets have since been conducted in several other communities.
- a police dragnet
- a DNA dragnet
But Seneca gets caught up in this dragnet, as does his nephew Lucan.
- But Seneca gets caught up in this dragnet, as does his nephew Lucan.
- In any case, the last chance of breaking this dragnet was the French breaking through, but once the Serbs withdrew from Babuna Pass, that was it.
- You know, you look at the dragnet secret surveillance programs, global drone warfare and the pen and foam governance of the Bush Obama years.
Examples
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The dragnet is closing in on his terrorist alter ego.
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Before conducting a dragnet, investigators can look to what is already on file.
Academic text (2004) -
Throw a dragnet around the city.
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- Stone, phone headquarters, tell 'em to get a dragnet out.
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The largest known DNA dragnet to date took place in Germany in 1998.
Academic text (2004) -
Large numbers of migrants and citizens were swept into the police dragnet.
Academic text (2002) -
Police have put out an all-points bulletin ... and are setting up a dragnet ... in hopes of finding the fugitive.
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The dragnet is still out for those seven people who allegedly made off with $600,000 from the city programme that was supposed to renovate old buildings.
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The Bureau, local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers have all joined in forming a dragnet to snare Seth and Richard Gecko.
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The police launched a massive dragnet to capture the escaped convict.
Synonyms
66
4.1
To enter a place suddenly to search for people or evidence
65
5.8
An organized police search for a person wanted for a crime
7
6.1
An act of gathering people suspected of crimes by the police for questioning
A sudden organized raid to capture people or take goods
How Extensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word dragnet for a police search comes from the idea of a fishing net. It is made of drag ('to pull') and net, so a police dragnet is like pulling a net across an area to 'catch' many suspects.