dredge up
B2-C1Informal, often used in journalism, conversation, and narrative contexts. Can carry a critical or disapproving tone.
Definition
Meaning
To bring something unpleasant, forgotten, or hidden from the past back into attention or memory.
To revive or uncover old information, memories, or feelings, especially those that are negative, embarrassing, or deliberately forgotten. Can also be used literally in relation to removing silt or mud from a riverbed or harbour, though the literal sense is less common with the particle 'up'.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The phrase strongly implies the subject being brought up is negative, irrelevant, or best left forgotten. It suggests effort or deliberate action in uncovering the information, and often criticises that action as unhelpful or malicious. It is a separable phrasal verb (e.g., 'dredge old rumours up' or 'dredge up old rumours').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is nearly identical in meaning and frequency. The literal activity of 'dredging' a river is common in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical connotations of negativity and unwelcome revival.
Frequency
Slightly more common in British news media, but the difference is minimal.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] dredges up [Object (memory/rumour/past)][Subject] is dredged up by [Agent]to dredge [Object] up from [Source e.g., the past/the archives]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “rake over old coals/ashes (similar meaning)”
- “let sleeping dogs lie (opposite advice)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The journalist tried to dredge up the company's failed product launch from a decade ago."
Academic
Used in historical or sociological analysis to discuss the revival of past traumas or debates.
Everyday
"I wish you wouldn't dredge up that argument we had years ago."
Technical
The literal sense is used in engineering/environmental contexts: 'to dredge up sediment for analysis'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The tabloids love to dredge up scandals about celebrities.
- He dredged up some long-forgotten qualifications for his CV.
American English
- The opposition is dredging up the mayor's old tax problems.
- Why dredge up painful memories from high school?
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Please don't dredge up that old problem.
- The article dredged up many bad memories.
- The interview was an attempt to dredge up details of his controversial past.
- She didn't want to dredge up the argument again.
- The biographer has been accused of cynically dredging up unsubstantiated rumours to sell books.
- The political debate dredged up sectarian divisions that many thought were long buried.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a DREDGE (a machine that digs mud from a riverbed). It brings up dark, muddy, unpleasant stuff from the bottom. To 'dredge up' memories is to bring dark, unpleasant things from the bottom of your mind to the surface.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE PAST IS BURIED/SUNKEN. UNCOVERING THE PAST IS DIGGING/DIVING.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque from verbs like 'поднимать' or 'вытаскивать' without the negative connotation. The phrase implies the information is negative and forgotten. 'Вытащить на свет божий' is closer in tone.
Common Mistakes
- Using it for neutral or positive recall (e.g., 'She dredged up a lovely childhood memory' – incorrect). Confusing it with 'drag up' (which can be similar but often refers to raising a child poorly).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'dredge up' used CORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Overwhelmingly yes. Its core meaning involves bringing up something unpleasant or forgotten. Using it for positive things sounds ironic or strange.
'Bring up' is neutral. 'Dredge up' implies the subject is negative, buried/forgotten, and that the act of bringing it up is perhaps unwelcome or done with effort/malice.
Yes, but less commonly with 'up'. You 'dredge' a canal. You can 'dredge up' silt or treasure from the sea floor, meaning to bring it to the surface.
It is informal to neutral. It's common in journalism and conversation but would be replaced by more formal terms like 'exhume' or 'resurrect' in very formal academic or legal writing.