Real Dictionary

dredge
verb: When people dredge a harbour, river, or other area of water, they remove mud and unwanted material from the bottom with a special machine in order to make it deeper or to look for something.

dredge in American English 1
a device consisting of a net attached to a frame, dragged along the bottom of a river, bay, etc. to gather shellfish, marine plant specimens, etc.
to search for or gather (up) with or as with a dredge
intransitive verb: to use a dredge
noun: any of various powerful machines for dredging up or removing earth, as from the bottom of a river, by means of a scoop, a series of buckets, a suction pipe, or the like
transitive verb: to clear out with a dredge; remove sand, silt, mud, etc., from the bottom of

dredge in American English 2
to coat (food) with flour or the like, as by sprinkling
transitive verb: to sprinkle or coat with some powdered substance, esp. flour

dredge in British English 1
noun: a machine, in the form of a bucket ladder, grab, or suction device, used to remove material from a riverbed, channel, etc

dredge in British English 2
verb: to sprinkle or coat (food) with flour, sugar, etc