TROLL


Meaning of TROLL in English

/ trɒl; trəʊl; NAmE troʊl/ noun , verb

■ noun

1.

(in Scandinavian stories) a creature that looks like an ugly person. Some trolls are very large and evil, others are small and friendly but like to trick people.

2.

( informal ) a message to a discussion group on the Internet that sb deliberately sends to make other people angry; a person who sends a message like this

■ verb

1.

[ v ] troll (for sth) ( especially NAmE ) to catch fish by pulling a line with bait on it through the water behind a boat

2.

[ v , vn ] troll (sth) for sth ( informal ) to search for or try to get sth :

He trolled the Internet for advice on the disease.

Both candidates have been trolling for votes.

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WORD ORIGIN

noun sense 1 from Old Norse and Swedish troll , Danish trold ; adopted into English from Scandinavian in the mid 19th cent.

verb and noun sense 2 late Middle English (in the sense stroll, roll): origin uncertain; compare with Old French troller wander here and there (in search of game) and Middle High German trollen stroll.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.