fishing expedition

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.

To appreciate fully the outrageousness of this fishing expedition, remember the original setting for the Smith probe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

That is the short story of how plane ticketing became a fishing expedition and basic economy the bait.

From Slate • Oct. 9, 2025

Saturday’s fishing expedition occurred about a week after Duarte contacted police because she had begun noticing that the number of koi in her pond seemed to be dwindling.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2025

Vaughan Gething first responded the next day, claiming the request was a "fishing expedition" and that his constituents would expect correspondence on their behalf by an elected representative to remain confidential.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2024

He had not seen Ramon since the day recently when he had suggested a fishing expedition and been told that Ramon was not well.

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry