dredge up
phrasal verb
dredged up; dredging up; dredges up
: to start talking or thinking again about (something unpleasant that happened a long time ago)
Reporters dredged up the fact that the senator avoided the military draft.
She didn't like to dredge up bad memories.
Examples of dredge up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For Lorde, the new discussion has dredged up unsubstantiated but similar rumors about her connection with Jack Antonoff, who produced 2017’s Melodrama.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Comments Nicole Kidman and Mark Strong break down the fifth episode of Nine Perfect Strangers season 2, a flashback that dredges up revelations about their characters, Masha Dmitrichenko and David Sharpe.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 11 June 2025
One of these items is a drill that will plunge three feet into the lunar ground, dredging up a small pile of soil.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2025
But as the battle to save Ransom wages on, a mysterious cowboy drifts into town, dredging up secrets from the past.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dredge up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Comments Nicole Kidman and Mark Strong break down the fifth episode of Nine Perfect Strangers season 2, a flashback that dredges up revelations about their characters, Masha Dmitrichenko and David Sharpe.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 11 June 2025
One of these items is a drill that will plunge three feet into the lunar ground, dredging up a small pile of soil.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2025
But as the battle to save Ransom wages on, a mysterious cowboy drifts into town, dredging up secrets from the past.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dredge up
Cite this Entry
“Dredge up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dredge%20up. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share