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trawl Definition

trawl (trôl)

noun

  1. a large, baglike net dragged by a boat along the bottom of a fishing bank
  2. ☆ a long line supported by buoys, from which many short fishing lines are hung
  3. Chiefly Brit. a thorough search

Etymology: < ? MDu traghel, dragnet < ? L tragula: see trail

transitive verb, intransitive verb

  1. to fish or catch with a trawl
  2. Chiefly Brit. to make a thorough search (of): often with through to trawl a biography for telling anecdotes

trawl Usage Examples

Object

  • net: Don't forget to trawl the net for free delivery codes.
  • archives: But will trawl the archives I have in odd books and photos to see if I can find anything.
  • Internet: Spend at least an afternoon trawling the internet to get quotes.
  • gear: These small mounds and their coral growths are particularly vulnerable to the heavy trawling gear used in deep water.

Preposition: for

  • bass: Two sea anglers recently reported seeing pair trawling for bass taking place just two miles off Start Point, Devon.

Preposition: through

  • archives: All the present members use video, but occasionally the film projector is brought out for a nostalgic trawl through the archives.
  • hundred: Is research just a matter of typing a phrase into Google then trawling through the hundreds of search results.
  • websites: A quick trawl through the websites of the Sunday papers.

Adjective modifier

  • pelagic: Pilot whales have been caught in pelagic trawls in the northern North Sea.
  • demersal: A mixed demersal trawl How are Demersal Fish Caught?
  • quick: A quick trawl through the websites of the Sunday papers.

Modifies a noun

  • winch: The trawl winch system is arranged for regenerative braking.
  • fishery: The bottom trawl fishery west of Shetland has two main components.
  • warp: To this stopper is shackled the independent wire which in turn is shackled to the flat link in the end of the trawl warp.
  • net: A power block was used to haul in the trawl net.
  • gear: They are towed along the seabed in front of the main trawl gear.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • through: That's a lot of Web sites to trawl through!

Noun used with modifier

  • mid-water: It was caught about 24 nautical miles east of Lizard Point, SW Cornwall in a mid-water pair trawl.
  • otter: Photograph showing close-up of an otter trawl, taken around 1900 Open A steam winch was used to haul the trawls.
  • beam: The beam trawl was the first type to be used.