Standard Lemma guide

dredge

name · noun · verb · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /dɹɛd͡ʒ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛdʒ
  • CMU ARPABET: D R EH1 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:

A dragnet for taking up oysters, etc., from their beds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:

A dredging machine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:

An iron frame, with a fine net attached, used in collecting animals living at the bottom of the sea.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The act of dredging.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Very fine mineral matter held in suspension in water.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A large shaker for sprinkling spices or seasonings during food preparation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: cooking, food, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A mixture of oats and barley.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bullimong

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To make a channel deeper or wider using a dredge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To bring something to the surface with a dredge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To unearth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive, usually

Examples

  • to dredge up someone's unsavoury past

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To sprinkle (food) with spices or seasonings, using a dredge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: cooking, food, lifestyle

Examples

  • Dredge the meat with the flour mixture you prepared earlier.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

a power shovel to remove material from a channel or riverbed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: power shovel, excavator, digger, shovel

14

verb

Meaning 14

remove with a power shovel, usually from a bottom of a body of water

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: remove, take, take away, withdraw

15

verb

Meaning 15

search (as the bottom of a body of water) for something valuable or lost

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drag

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: search, seek, look for

16

verb

Meaning 16

cover before cooking

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • dredge the chicken in flour before frying it

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coat, surface

Narrower terms: flour

History

Etymology

Variant spelling of Drage.

From Scots dreg-boat, dreg-bot (from Old English *dreċġ); or alternatively from Middle Dutch dregghe (“drag-net”), probably ultimately from the same root as drag.

From Middle English dragge, from Old French dragee, dragie, from Latin tragēmata, from Ancient Greek τραγήματα (tragḗmata, “spices”), plural of τράγημα (trágēma, “dried fruit”).

Across languages

Translations

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: драга (draga) — dredging machine
  • Catalan: draga — dredging machine
  • Czech: plovoucí bagr — dredging machine
  • Czech: říční bagr — dredging machine
  • Czech: plovoucí rypadlo — dredging machine
  • Czech: říční rypadlo — dredging machine
  • Dutch: baggerschip — dredging machine
  • Dutch: baggermolen — dredging machine
  • Dutch: baggervaartuig — dredging machine
  • Dutch: baggermachine — dredging machine
  • Dutch: skalian — dredging machine
  • Finnish: ruoppauskone — dredging machine
  • Finnish: ruoppain — dredging machine
  • German: Baggermaschine — dredging machine
  • Greek: βυθοκόρος (vythokóros) — dredging machine
  • Italian: draga — dredging machine
  • Portuguese: draga — dredging machine
  • Russian: драга (draga) — dredging machine
  • Slovene: bager — dredging machine
  • Spanish: draga — dredging machine
  • Swedish: dragg — dredging machine
  • Swedish: trål — dredging machine
  • Tagalog: draga — dredging machine
  • Ukrainian: драга (draha) — dredging machine
  • Ukrainian: земснаряд (zemsnarjad) — dredging machine
  • Ukrainian: землечерпалка (zemlečerpalka) — dredging machine
  • Italian: sferra — iron frame
  • Swedish: dragg — iron frame
  • Finnish: liete — fine mineral matter held in suspension in water
  • Bulgarian: драгирам (dragiram) — to make a channel deeper
  • Catalan: dragar — to make a channel deeper
  • Czech: vybagrovat — to make a channel deeper
  • Czech: bagrovat — to make a channel deeper
  • Dutch: baggeren — to make a channel deeper
  • Finnish: ruopata — to make a channel deeper
  • French: draguer — to make a channel deeper
  • Italian: dragare — to make a channel deeper
  • Portuguese: dragar — to make a channel deeper
  • Russian: углубля́ть (uglubljátʹ) — to make a channel deeper
  • Russian: углуби́ть (uglubítʹ) — to make a channel deeper
  • Spanish: dragar — to make a channel deeper
  • Swedish: dragga — to make a channel deeper
  • Swedish: tråla — to make a channel deeper
  • Swedish: muddra — to make a channel deeper
  • Ukrainian: драгувати (drahuvaty) — to make a channel deeper
  • Ukrainian: поглиблювати (pohlybljuvaty) — to make a channel deeper
  • Vietnamese: nạo vét — to make a channel deeper
  • Catalan: dragar — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • German: herausholen — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Italian: dragare — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Polish: bagrować — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Polish: wybagrować — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Portuguese: dragar — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Russian: вычёрпывать (vyčórpyvatʹ) — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Russian: вы́черпать (výčerpatʹ) — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Spanish: dragar — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Swedish: dragga — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Ukrainian: вичерпувати (vyčerpuvaty) — to bring something to the surface with a dredge
  • Bulgarian: изгребвам (izgrebvam) — to unearth
  • Catalan: dragar — to unearth
  • Finnish: kaivaa esiin — to unearth
  • Italian: rivangare — to unearth
  • Italian: disseppellire — to unearth
  • Portuguese: dragar — to unearth
  • Russian: выу́живать (vyúživatʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: вспомина́ть (vspominátʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: выка́пывать (vykápyvatʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: вы́копать (výkopatʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: отка́пывать (otkápyvatʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: откопа́ть (otkopátʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: раска́пывать (raskápyvatʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: раскопа́ть (raskopátʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: вырыва́ть (vyryvátʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: вы́рыть (výrytʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: отрыва́ть (otryvátʹ) — to unearth
  • Russian: отры́ть (otrýtʹ) — to unearth
  • Spanish: dragar — to unearth
  • Bulgarian: наръсвам (narǎsvam) — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Czech: posypat — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Finnish: jauhottaa — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Finnish: sirotella — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Italian: spolverare — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Russian: посыпать (posypatʹ) — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Swedish: pudra — to coat moistened food with powder
  • Ottoman Turkish: صاچمق (saçmak) — to coat moistened food with powder
Real reading context

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