Definition

1. Noun:

   • A large conical fishing net: A trawl is a wide-mouthed net that is dragged along the sea bottom or through a body of water to catch fish and other marine life.
   • A long fishing line with multiple hooks: A trawl can also refer to a long, heavy fishing line with many shorter lines and baited hooks attached at intervals.

2. Verb:

   • To fish using a trawl net: The act of fishing by dragging a trawl net through the water, typically behind a boat called a trawler.
   • To search through something thoroughly: To examine or go through a large quantity of items, information, or a place in a detailed and systematic way to find something.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The fishermen hauled in the trawl, full of cod and haddock.
  • They set a trawl line overnight to catch bottom-dwelling fish.

• Verb:

  • The boat will trawl these waters for shrimp.
  • Detectives had to trawl through hours of security footage to find the suspect.

Advanced Usage

• "to trawl for": To search for something specific within a large amount of data or a wide area.
  • The software can trawl the internet for specific keywords.
• "to trawl through": To examine a large collection of items or information, often implying the task is tedious or time-consuming.
  • She had to trawl through hundreds of applications to find a suitable candidate.

Variants and Related Words

• Trawler (n): A fishing boat used for trawling.
  • The trawler returned to port with its catch.
• Trawling (n): The activity or method of fishing with a trawl net.
  • Bottom trawling can damage the seafloor ecosystem.
• Trawl-net (n): Another term for a trawl (the net).
• Trawl-line (n): Another term for a trawl (the long fishing line).

Synonyms

• Noun (net): Dragnet, seine.
• Verb (to fish): Drag, net.
• Verb (to search): Sift, comb, scour, scour through.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Trawl through: To search through something carefully and systematically.
  • I spent the morning trawling through old archives for the document.

Related Idioms

• To cast a wide trawl/net: To conduct a broad, extensive search.
  • The recruitment agency cast a wide trawl to find the right executive.

Noun

1. a conical fishnet dragged through the water at great depths
2. a long fishing line with many shorter lines and hooks attached to it (usually suspended between buoys)

Verb

1. fish with trawlers