trawled; trawling; trawls
1
a
: to fish with a trawl
b
: to make a search as if by trawling
2
: to catch (fish) with a trawl
1
: a large conical net dragged along the sea bottom in gathering fish or other marine life
2
: setline
Examples of trawl in a Sentence
Verb
The boat trawled far out at sea.
a fishing boat trawling the ocean floor
He trawled the Internet looking for websites on growing grapes.
She was trawling through old letters for information about her family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Erdekian, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2023
The book trawls the depths of human history, meandering from Neolithic Ukraine to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia to the Harappan civilization of the Indus River basin to the Olmec, Yurok, and Wyandot peoples of the Americas and on even to the European Enlightenment.
—Walter Scheidel, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
The Week Uk, theweek, 1 Feb. 2024
In contrast, Glenn Merrill, Director of Government Affairs for Glacier Fish, described the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s five-year review of analyzing the trawl gear's impacts on the ocean floor and its interaction with essential fish habitats as more than acceptable.
—Lucas E. Wright, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for trawl 
Verb
And is there anything on earth like sinking into a fresh, smooth hotel bed after a red-eye or a long day of trawling an unfamiliar city?
—Alex Erdekian, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2023
The book trawls the depths of human history, meandering from Neolithic Ukraine to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia to the Harappan civilization of the Indus River basin to the Olmec, Yurok, and Wyandot peoples of the Americas and on even to the European Enlightenment.
—Walter Scheidel, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
Noun
This could create a powerful incentive for such companies to think twice before dragging a trawl net through the internet and using artists' work without their explicit consent.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 1 Feb. 2024
In contrast, Glenn Merrill, Director of Government Affairs for Glacier Fish, described the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s five-year review of analyzing the trawl gear's impacts on the ocean floor and its interaction with essential fish habitats as more than acceptable.
—Lucas E. Wright, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for trawl
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trawl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near trawl
Cite this Entry
“Trawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trawl. Accessed 20 Jun. 2024.
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