Trawl Definition
trôl
trawled, trawling, trawls
noun
trawls
A trawl net.
American Heritage
A large, baglike net dragged by a boat along the bottom of a fishing bank.
Webster's New World
An act of searching for or examining something.
A trawl of local records produced some leads.
American Heritage
A long line supported by buoys, from which many short fishing lines are hung.
Webster's New World
A thorough search.
Webster's New World
verb
trawled, trawling, trawls
To fish or catch with a trawl.
Webster's New World
To fish (an area) with a trawl.
American Heritage
To make a thorough search (of)
To trawl a biography for amusing anecdotes.
Webster's New World
To search (an area) or go to (different places) in search of something.
Trawled the shops for a bargain.
American Heritage
To fish with a trawl.
American Heritage
Origin of Trawl
Possibly Middle English trawelle perhaps from Middle Dutch tragel dragnet possibly from Latin trāgula from trahere to drag V. tr., sense 3a, and v. intr., sense 2, influenced by troll
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Dutch traghel
From Wiktionary
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