as in searching
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
the owner of the bed-and-breakfast often trolls antique stores for furniture and knickknacks
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Recent Examples of trolling
Long trolling Trump in what many view as the lead-up to a 2028 White House bid by the two-term Democrat, Newsom’s missive comes in all caps and with the over-the-top self-aggrandizement that is common to POTUS himself — which is often the point.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026
Tony Romo got a little prophetic while trolling Swifties in 2023.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The theme across his X activity was trolling Johnson while big-upping Perez and himself.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Trump unleashed a series of trolling Truth Social posts yesterday, taking aim at French President Emmanuel Macron.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Over a 14-year period, nine protection or restraining orders were filed against Barrett for incidents that involved the harassment or assault of at least six women; this included death threats, trolling on Instagram, and impersonating a police officer.
—Annette McGivney, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Hegesth’s post is trolling, nothing more.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 2 Dec. 2025
That hasn’t stopped 50 Cent from trolling him on social media since the allegations went public.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
But that didn’t stop him from publicly trolling Wolverine fans the moment he was introduced.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026
Tony Romo got a little prophetic while trolling Swifties in 2023.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The theme across his X activity was trolling Johnson while big-upping Perez and himself.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Trump unleashed a series of trolling Truth Social posts yesterday, taking aim at French President Emmanuel Macron.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Over a 14-year period, nine protection or restraining orders were filed against Barrett for incidents that involved the harassment or assault of at least six women; this included death threats, trolling on Instagram, and impersonating a police officer.
—Annette McGivney, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Hegesth’s post is trolling, nothing more.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 2 Dec. 2025
That hasn’t stopped 50 Cent from trolling him on social media since the allegations went public.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
But that didn’t stop him from publicly trolling Wolverine fans the moment he was introduced.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trolling
Verb
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Schacht, a lean clinical psychologist with boyish features, has spent much of his career searching for medications to treat alcohol addiction.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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The bodycam video was an eye-opening look at the frightening aftermath of the Brown campus shooting when police were searching room-by-room for the suspect, trying to comfort and care for terrified students, and trying to coordinate with campus police to get past locked doors.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The drones automatically adapt scanning parameters based on environmental conditions while stabilizing flight to counter strong airflow inside freezer aisles.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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Once active, nearby cameras begin scanning automatically.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trolling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trolling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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