to troll
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to troll
To deliberately post provocative or disruptive content on the internet in order to provoke reactions from other users and disrupt discussions.
Ignoriere den Kommentar, der will doch nur trollen.
Ignore the comment; he just wants to troll.
to clear off
Colloquial, often derogatory or joking, meaning to leave or make oneself scarce.
Nach der peinlichen Bemerkung hat er sich lieber schnell getrollt.
After the embarrassing remark, he quickly cleared off.
to troll
A specific fishing method in which bait on a line is dragged behind a moving boat; also called trolling.
Auf dem See haben wir stundenlang auf Hecht getrollt.
We trolled for pike on the lake for hours.
The three meanings are clearly separate. You can recognize the internet meaning from words like 'Forum' (forum), 'Kommentar' (comment), or 'online' (online). The colloquial meaning 'weggehen' (to leave) is always reflexive ('sich trollen'). The third meaning is a technical term in fishing.
Er wurde aus dem Forum ausgeschlossen, weil er ständig getrollt hat.
He was banned from the forum because he was constantly trolling.
This meaning of 'trollen' (to troll) is a modern loanword from English and belongs to internet language. It is mainly used in online contexts such as forums, social media, or chats.
Manche Leute haben Spaß daran, in Online-Diskussionen zu trollen.
Some people enjoy trolling in online discussions.
In the meaning 'sich davonmachen' (to make oneself scarce), the verb is always reflexive. So you must use 'sich trollen'. It is also colloquial and can sound slightly derogatory or joking.
Troll dich! Ich will dich hier nicht mehr sehen.
Clear off! I don't want to see you here anymore.
The expression 'sich trollen' (to clear off) is derived from the fairy-tale figure 'der Troll' (the troll). It vividly describes a somewhat lumbering or awkward departure, as one might imagine a troll doing.
Der Betrunkene trollte sich aus der Bar.
The drunk man stumbled out of the bar.
to provoke
Provozieren can generally mean deliberately causing a reaction, while trollen limits this action to the internet. There, trollen refers to provocative or disruptive posts intended to influence discussions. Use trollen in an online discussion; outside this context, provozieren is the appropriate choice.
Er trollte im Forum mit provokanten Beiträgen, um die Diskussion zu stören.
He trolled the forum with provocative posts to disrupt the discussion.
Mit seiner absichtlichen Bemerkung provozierte er die anderen Gäste.
With his deliberately provocative remark, he provoked the other guests.
