trolling
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of posting annoying or offensive messages online to make people angry.
the practice of posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the intent of provoking an emotional response.
Simple“He realized that the angry comments were just trolling and decided to ignore them.”
In context“The moderator noted that the sudden influx of aggressive posts was a coordinated instance of trolling designed to derail the political discussion.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a way of fishing where you pull a baited line through the water behind a moving boat.
a method of angling where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures or bait fish, are drawn through the water behind a moving boat.
Simple“We spent the morning trolling for salmon in the middle of the lake.”
In context“Successful trolling requires precise control of the boat's speed to ensure the lure mimics the movement of live prey at the correct depth.”
PitfallThe ship was trolling for tuna with a giant net. The ship was trawling for tuna with a giant net.Do not confuse trolling (using a line) with trawling (using a large net).
“The president has been trolling Canada for weeks — from changing the name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,’ to new maps on social media showing Canada and Greenland under the American flag.”
“Canadians would be wise to spend less time reacting to the trolling and more time watching what comes next because things are likely about to get bumpy.”