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Trolling

 - 5 dictionary results

troll

1  [trohl] ,
Use Trolling in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to sing or utter in a full, rolling voice.
2. to sing in the manner of a round or catch.
3. to fish for or in with a moving line, working the line up or down with a rod, as in fishing for pike, or trailing the line behind a slow-moving boat.
4. to move (the line or bait) in doing this.
5. to cause to turn round and round; roll.
6. Obsolete. to hand around, as a bowl of liquor at table.
–verb (used without object)
7. to sing with a full, rolling voice; give forth full, rolling tones.
8. to be uttered or sounded in such tones.
9. to fish by trolling.
10. to roll; turn round and round.
11. to move nimbly, as the tongue in speaking.
–noun
12. a song whose parts are sung in succession; a round.
13. the act of trolling.
14. a lure used in trolling for fish.
15. the fishing line containing the lure and hook for use in trolling.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME trollen to roll, stroll < MF troller to run here and there < MHG trollen walk or run with short steps

Related forms:
troller, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Trolling
troll 1   (trōl)   
v.   trolled, troll·ing, trolls

v.   tr.

    1. To fish for by trailing a baited line from behind a slowly moving boat.

    2. To fish in by trailing a baited line: troll the lake for bass.

    3. To trail (a baited line) in fishing.

    4. To sing in succession the parts of (a round, for example).

    5. To sing heartily: troll a carol.

  2. Slang To patrol (an area) in search for someone or something: "[Criminals] troll bus stations for young runaways" (Pete Axthelm).

  3. Music

    1. To sing in succession the parts of (a round, for example).

    2. To sing heartily: troll a carol.

  4. To roll or revolve.

v.   intr.

  1. To fish by trailing a line, as from a moving boat.

    1. To wander about; ramble.

    2. Slang To patrol an area in search for someone or something.

  3. Music To sing heartily or gaily.

  4. To roll or spin around.

n.  

    1. The act of trolling for fish.

    2. A lure, such as a spoon or spinner, that is used for trolling.

  2. Music A vocal composition in successive parts; a round.


[Middle English trollen, to wander about, from Old French troller, of Germanic origin.]
troll'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
troll

  1. n.
    an ugly person; a grouchy person. : Gee, that dame is a real troll. What's her problem?
  2. n.
    an internet user who sends inflammatory or provocative messages designed to elicit negative responses or start a flame-war. (As a fisherman trolls for an unsuspecting fish.) : Don't answer those silly messages. Some troll is just looking for an argument.
  3. n.
    a message sent by a troll (sense 2). : Every time I get a troll, I just delete it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

troll  (v.)
1377, "to go about, stroll," later (c.1425) "roll from side to side, trundle," from O.Fr. troller, a hunting term, "wander, to go in quest of game without purpose," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. trollen "to walk with short steps"), from P.Gmc. *truzlanan. Sense of "sing in a full, rolling voice" (first attested 1575) and that of "fish with a moving line" (1606) are both extended technical applications of the general sense of "roll, trundle," the latter perhaps confused with trail or trawl. Fig. sense of "to draw on as with a moving bait, entice, allure" is from 1565. Meaning "to cruise in search of sexual encounters" is recorded from 1967, originally in homosexual slang.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

trolling

method of fishing in which a lure or a bait is pulled behind a boat at varying speeds and depths according to the nature, habitat, and size of the fish being sought. Trolling is practiced in both freshwater and salt water and with all kinds of craft; power boats that carry varied tackle and big-game gear are usually used at sea but may also be used on inland waters, where legal. Trolling permits the fisherman to cover a wide area, making it the method of choice among sport anglers in pursuit of such highly mobile species as walleye and muskellunge (muskie) in large freshwater lakes and rivers. Trolling for sport is usually done at relatively low speeds using strong rods equipped with stout lines and heavy reels. The fisherman sits facing the stern, sometimes in a specially equipped fighting chair. Troll lines are also used by trawler fishermen for commercial catches, principally salmon and tuna.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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