drag-net

Noun

dragnet (plural dragnets)

1. A net dragged across the bottom of a body of water.
   • Anchovy dragnets are an important part Korea's fishing sector. Over 99% of catches found in anchovy dragnets are anchovy. Although the annual total catches of anchovy have fluctuated, dragnets catch 55 to 70% of the total annual catch of anchovy. The remaining portion is caught with drift gill nets...2000, Transition to Responsible Fisheries Economic and Policy Implications, OECD Publishing, →ISBN, page 228
2. (figuratively) A heightened effort by law enforcement personnel undertaken in order to capture suspects.
   • The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives.[…]who, if anyone, is policing their use[?] Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret...2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26

See all 4 meanings of dragnet