Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

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.
Cite This Source
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.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

troll  (n.)
"ugly dwarf or giant," 1616, from O.N. troll "giant, fiend, demon." Some speculate that it originally meant "creature that walks clumsily," and derives from P.Gmc. *truzlan, from *truzlanan (see troll (v.)). But it seems to have been a general supernatural word, cf. Swed. trolla "to charm, bewitch;" O.N. trolldomr "witchcraft." The old sagas tell of the troll-bull, a supernatural being in the form of a bull, as well as boar-trolls. There were troll-maidens, troll-wives, and troll-women; the trollman, a magician or wizard, and the troll-drum, used in Lappish magic rites. The word was popularized in Eng. by 19c. antiquarians, but it has been current in the Shetlands and Orkneys since Viking times. The first record of it is from a court document from the Shetlands, regarding a certain Catherine, who, among other things, was accused of "airt and pairt of witchcraft and sorcerie, in hanting and seeing the Trollis ryse out of the kyrk yeard of Hildiswick." Originally conceived as a race of giants, they have suffered the same fate as the Celtic Danann and are now regarded in Denmark and Sweden as dwarfs and imps supposed to live in caves or under the ground.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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.

Learn more about trolling with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see trolling on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way