noun / verb
trawl
TRAWL/trɔːl/
A net dragged through water to gather fish.
The fishing boat tows a trawl through the cold water.
Etymology
Dragging a net supplies the central image: it gathers what lies along its path. Searching thoroughly is a figurative trawl, sweeping through material to collect something useful.
In context
the team has been able to trawl through the free text and pick up symptoms and queries in the GP’s notes.
More examples
- The crew repairs a tear in the trawl.
- These boats trawl for shrimp near the coast.
- The boat carries two trawls of different sizes.
Forms
trawl · trawls · trawled · trawling
trawler noun — A fishing boat that tows a trawl.