dredge
verb /dredʒ/
/dredʒ/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they dredge | /dredʒ/ /dredʒ/ |
| he / she / it dredges | /ˈdredʒɪz/ /ˈdredʒɪz/ |
| past simple dredged | /dredʒd/ /dredʒd/ |
| past participle dredged | /dredʒd/ /dredʒd/ |
| -ing form dredging | /ˈdredʒɪŋ/ /ˈdredʒɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to remove mud, stones, etc. from the bottom of a river, canal, etc. using a boat or special machine, to make it deeper or to search for something
- dredge (something) They're dredging the harbour so that larger ships can use it.
- dredge (something) for something They dredge the bay for gravel.
- [transitive] dredge something (up) (from something) to bring something up from the bottom of a river, etc. using a boat or special machine
- waste dredged (up) from the seabed
- [transitive] dredge something in/with something to cover food lightly with sugar, flour, etc.
- Dredge the top of the cake with icing sugar.
Word Originsenses 1 to 2 late 15th cent. (as a noun; originally in dredge-boat): perhaps related to Middle Dutch dregghe ‘grappling hook’. sense 3 late 16th cent.: from obsolete dredge ‘sweetmeat, mixture of spices’, from Old French dragie, perhaps via Latin from Greek tragēmata ‘spices’. Compare with dragée.