1. a method of fishing using a large net dragged through the water
Usage: nautical
2. the act of searching through large amounts of information or data
Usage: informal

1. present participle of trawl: to fish using a trawl net
Usage: nautical
2. present participle of trawl: to search through systematically

Examples

• The fishing boat spent the morning trawling for cod.
• Commercial trawling has affected fish populations in the area.
• She was trawling through old documents looking for evidence.
• The detective spent hours trawling social media for clues.
• Bottom trawling can damage the ocean floor.
• He’s been trawling the internet for job opportunities.
• The research team is trawling through decades of climate data.