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trotline

American

[trot-lahyn] / ˈtrɒtˌlaɪn /

noun

a strong fishing line strung across a stream, or deep into a river, having individual hooks attached by smaller lines at intervals.

trotline British

/ ˈtrɒtˌlaɪn /

noun

angling a long line suspended across a stream, river, etc, to which shorter hooked and baited lines are attached Compare trawl See also setline

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of trotline

1825–35; perhaps trot ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp with trotline success.

From Washington Times • Mar. 18, 2020

He told deputies he and Mary had gone trotline fishing, and she accidentally fell out of the boat.

From Washington Times • Jul. 31, 2016

He tweaked the vertical tiller at the side of his boat as he steered along his middle trotline.

From Washington Post • Jun. 19, 2016

Purchase regulation trotline cord or braided surveying line that tests at about 250 pounds.

From Time Magazine Archive

There were hooks spaced along the trotline, and we hung a dough ball on each.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023