Word
trawl
UK/tɹˈɔːl/
Definition
v. to pull a big fishing net through the sea to catch fish. You also use it when you search slowly and carefully through a lot of things, like files or the internet.
v. to drag a large fishing net through water to catch fish. Extended to mean a slow, thorough search through a large body of material, records, or data.
Examples
“Fishermen trawl these waters for cod every winter.”
“The journalist trawls through years of emails to find evidence of the fraud.”
“After the crash, investigators trawled the wreckage and flight logs for months, piecing together a sequence of minor faults that alone seemed harmless.”
Examples
simple
“Fishermen trawl these waters for cod every winter.”
contextual
“The journalist trawls through years of emails to find evidence of the fraud.”
complex
“After the crash, investigators trawled the wreckage and flight logs for months, piecing together a sequence of minor faults that alone seemed harmless.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “trawl” in context.
Verb
01. trawl database
“Analysts trawled the database for previous cases of fraud.”
verb + noun
02. trawl for evidence
“Lawyers trawled for evidence to support the appeal.”
verb + prep + noun
03. trawl seabed
“Bottom trawlers trawl the seabed, damaging fragile coral habitats.”
verb + noun
04. trawl through archive
“Historians trawled through archives to uncover wartime letters.”
verb + prep + noun
05. trawl through memory
“She trawled through her memory trying to recall his name.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
06. trawl extensively
“The fleet has extensively trawled these coastal waters for decades.”
verb + adv
07. trawl illegally
“Some vessels illegally trawl protected marine reserves at night.”
verb + adv
08. trawl systematically
“Investigators systematically trawled financial records for signs of fraud.”
verb + adv
09. trawl for personal details
“Criminals trawl for personal details to commit identity fraud.”
10. trawl the internet for information
“He trawled the internet for information about cheap flights.”
11. trawl the ocean floor
“Trawlers trawl the ocean floor for shrimp and flatfish.”
12. trawl through old files
“She trawled through old files looking for the missing contract.”
Usage
Takes a direct object for the area or material searched; search sense commonly pairs with 'through' or 'for'.
Etymology
16th century, borrowed from Dutch tragelen (“to pull with a towline, trawl”), from Middle Dutch traghelen, from traghel (“dragnet”) (presumably from Latin tragula (“dragnet”)), and as such root-cognate with English drag and dray.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/trawl