Learn about the difference between the homophones: trawl and troll

Definitions

trawl

Trawl is a verb that means to fish by dragging a net behind a boat or to search through something thoroughly.

Example

The fishermen trawled the ocean for hours.

Example

I had to trawl through hundreds of pages to find the information I needed.

troll

Troll can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, it refers to a mythical creature that lives in caves or mountains. As a verb, it means to post inflammatory or off-topic messages on social media or online forums with the intention of provoking other users.

Example

The troll under the bridge demanded a toll from anyone who wanted to cross.

Example

He was banned from the forum for trolling other users.

Tips To Remember the Differences

Here are a few tips to easily distinguish the difference between these words while keeping in mind the description we've provided:

- To remember the difference between these two words, you could associate trawl with fishing or searching, since it involves dragging a net through water or searching through something thoroughly. - Troll can be associated with the mythical creature or with online behavior that is meant to provoke or annoy others.