dragnet

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In our quest to catch the neighborhood porch pirate, we’ve inadvertently built a dragnet that catches much more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

To many Americans, the viral image of a child swept up in an enforcement dragnet is horrifying.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

At least two American citizens were caught up in the dragnet — a security guard headed to work at Glass House and a philosophy professor at Cal State Channel Islands who was protesting the raid.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2025

Asylum-seekers, refugees, and even Abrego Garcia, who had been issued a protection known as withholding of removal specifically prohibiting his being sent to El Salvador, have been swept up in the dragnet.

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2025

He’d had a conversation with Guitar some time ago about the dragnet.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison