Trawl

To trawl means to fish by dragging a large net behind a boat, typically used for catching fish and other marine life. The net, called a trawl net, is designed to scoop up everything in its path. The term can also be used metaphorically, signifying a thorough search or examination of something, such as information or data, often seeking to find something hidden or obscure. This may involve systematically looking through large quantities of information for specific items or patterns. This process is often used for searching for data in the deep web, internet or to search for specific files.

Trawl meaning with examples

• The fishing vessel went out to sea, prepared to trawl the waters for cod and haddock, hoping for a bountiful catch to sell at market.
• Archaeologists used sonar to trawl the seabed for shipwrecks, carefully analyzing the data for anomalies indicating the presence of historical artifacts.
• The detective decided to trawl through the witness statements, seeking any inconsistencies or clues that could help solve the case and identify the culprit.
• The company used sophisticated algorithms to trawl social media for mentions of their product, hoping to gauge public opinion.
• Researchers will trawl the scientific literature, searching for evidence related to the effectiveness of a newly developed treatment for the illness.