See Also: trawl(medicine)
trawl(1)(dictionary)
trawl(2)(dictionary)
trawl 1, verb(dictionary)
trawl 2, noun(dictionary)

trawl(2) (iou)



trawl verb. M16.
[Prob. from Middle Dutch traghelen drag, rel. to traghel drag-net, perh. from Latin tragula drag-net, obscurely from trahere draw. Cf. TRAWL noun, TRAIL verb.]
verb intrans. Fish (for) with a trawl. M16.
verb intrans. Fish by drawing bait along in the water; troll. E18.
verb intrans. Fish with a seine. M19.
verb trans. Catch with a trawl. M19.
fig.
a. verb trans. Search through or amongst exhaustively or extensively, esp. for a suitable candidate for a job etc. E20.
Empire Soderbergh..trawls his psyche for material. Management Today Trawling the market to find out who does what particularly well.
b. verb intrans. Engage in an exhaustive or extensive search for; esp. search for a suitable candidate for a job etc. by sifting through a large number. L20.
Guardian UK Press Gazette..is currently trawling for an editor.