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
Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Sarah Aubrey talked about how an online sleuth was immediately able to find out who was playing Draco Malfoy when the three leads were announced by trawling through their social media friends.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
Tim Graham, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Early specimens collected in trawl nets arrived damaged, as is the case for the majority of specimens trawled from the deep.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trawl
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Verb
Hanrahan is the founder of Popular Front, an independent news outlet that trawls the depths of the internet and reports from conflict zones.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Sarah Aubrey talked about how an online sleuth was immediately able to find out who was playing Draco Malfoy when the three leads were announced by trawling through their social media friends.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
Beane made trades to maximize his stash, but adding draft picks meant moving back to trawl increasingly shallow waters.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Early specimens collected in trawl nets arrived damaged, as is the case for the majority of specimens trawled from the deep.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trawl
Cite this Entry
“Trawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trawl. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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