# dredge up

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dredge-up
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to talk about or remember something unpleasant from the past that people have forgotten.

For teachers: to mention or recall an unpleasant event or memory from the past, typically one that others would prefer to remain forgotten; often used metaphorically in the context of investigative or emotional retrieval.

## Examples

- Why do you have to dredge up old arguments?
- The journalist managed to dredge up some scandals from the politician's college days that everyone had long forgotten.
- By reopening the cold case, the detective inadvertently dredged up painful memories for the victims' families that had taken decades to suppress.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He dredged up to the old story." but "He dredged up the old story." — the verb is transitive and takes a direct object without an extra preposition like 'to'.

## Usage notes

- usually takes an abstract object like memories, scandals, or the past.
- Teaching tip: anchor the meaning with the literal sense of 'dredging' a riverbed to find mud or trash; this helps students visualize pulling something 'dirty' from the bottom of the past.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.