Word
trawling
Phoneticstrawl·ing
UK/tɹˈɔːlɪŋ/
Definition
v. to drag a large fishing net through the sea to catch fish. You also use it for looking carefully through a lot of information, like files or the internet.
v. to drag a large net through water or along the seabed to catch fish; extended to searching systematically through large quantities of information or material.
Examples
“They are trawling the bay for shrimp today.”
“The boats spent the morning trawling along the coast to catch cod for the market.”
“Investigators spent weeks trawling through thousands of emails and financial records to trace the source of the missing funds.”
Examples
simple
“They are trawling the bay for shrimp today.”
contextual
“The boats spent the morning trawling along the coast to catch cod for the market.”
complex
“Investigators spent weeks trawling through thousands of emails and financial records to trace the source of the missing funds.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “trawling” in context.
Verb
01. ban trawling
“The government voted to ban trawling in the marine sanctuary.”
verb + noun
02. restrict trawling
“Authorities restrict trawling during the breeding season.”
verb + noun
03. resume trawling
“The fleet will resume trawling once the moratorium ends.”
verb + noun
04. trawling destroys
“Unregulated trawling destroys seabed ecosystems within years.”
noun + verb
05. trawling for evidence
“Journalists are trawling for evidence of corruption in the files.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
06. bottom trawling
“Bottom trawling destroys fragile coral habitats on the seabed.”
adj + noun
07. commercial trawling
“Commercial trawling provides employment for many coastal communities.”
adj + noun
08. illegal trawling
“Illegal trawling is depleting fish stocks in protected marine reserves.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. trawling fleet
“The coastal trawling fleet returned at dawn with a full catch.”
noun + noun
10. ban bottom trawling
“Several countries have agreed to ban bottom trawling to protect reefs.”
11. damage caused by trawling
“The damage caused by trawling can take decades to repair.”
12. go trawling for shrimp
“At dawn, the boats go trawling for shrimp off the coast.”
Usage
Transitive when referring to fishing grounds or nets; takes 'through' or 'for' when referring to searching information.
Real-World Examples
“This is one of West and Central Africa's largest marine reserves, where industrial trawling is banned.” “Fans have been diving into the couple's lore and trawling through old footage and photos of them, to fill in the gaps, and understand the true story behind the fictionalised version on screen.” “Once the Conaghans realised Harre and Brajeul were not from the local area, they began trawling through newspaper cuttings, burial records and internet forums to try and find out more about their families.” 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/trawling