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dredge

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dredge someone or something

 up

1. . Lit. to scoop something up from underwater. The workers dredged the lifeless body up from the cold black water. They dredged up the mud from the riverbed.

2. Fig. to use some effort to seek and find someone or something. I will see if I can dredge a date up for Friday. Can you dredge up a date for me? I don't have a wrench here, but I'll see if I can dredge one up from the basement.

dredge up something

also dredge something up

1. to remember something from the past He hates it when people dredge up the crimes that happened here 20 years ago. You're not dredging that old idea up again, are you?

Usage notes: often said about something unpleasant

2. to find something after a lot of looking We've finally dredged up enough money to have a proper lab with proper equipment.

See also: dredge, up

dredge up

v.

1. To deepen some body of water by digging and removing material from its bottom: They'll have to dredge up the river, or else the larger ships won't be able to pass through. Because the stream was hard to navigate, the farmer paid someone to dredge it up.

2. To raise something from the bottom of a body of water: The workers dredged up a car from the bottom of the lake. They dredged a lot of garbage up from the bottom of the canal.

3. To bring something back into discussion or importance, especially something unpleasant: I wish you hadn't dredged up that issue with our boss. I had been content to forget about the accident until my neighbor dredged it up by asking me questions about it.

See also: dredge, up