The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Trawl \Trawl\, v. i. [OF. trauler, troller, F. tr[^o]ter, to
   drag about, to stroll about; probably of Teutonic origin. Cf.
   Troll, v. t.]
   To take fish, or other marine animals, with a trawl.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Trawl \Trawl\, n.
   1. A fishing line, often extending a mile or more, having
      many short lines bearing hooks attached to it. It is used
      for catching cod, halibut, etc.; a boulter. [U. S. &
      Canada]
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A large bag net attached to a beam with iron frames at its
      ends, and dragged at the bottom of the sea, -- used in
      fishing, and in gathering forms of marine life from the
      sea bottom.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

trawl
    n 1: a long fishing line with many shorter lines and hooks
         attached to it (usually suspended between buoys) [syn:
         trawl, trawl line, spiller, setline, trotline]
    2: a conical fishnet dragged through the water at great depths
       [syn: trawl, dragnet, trawl net]
    v 1: fish with trawlers

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 January 2023):

trawl

   To sift through large volumes of data (e.g. Usenet postings,
   FTP archives, or the Jargon File) looking for something of
   interest.
   [Jargon File]


The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

trawl
 v.

    To sift through large volumes of data (e.g., Usenet postings, FTP archives,
    or the Jargon File) looking for something of interest.