Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also prole) to wander around in search of seducible women.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Proling Hunting or Searching about in quest of a Wench or any Game.
1928		B. Tucker ‘Penitentiary’ 🎵 I love you Lennon, a-hah, and you won’t behave / You gonna keep on a-prowlin’, gonna wake up in your grave.
1937		Robert Lee McCoy ‘Prowlin’ Nighthawk’ 🎵 Now I am the prowlin’ nighthawk, I prowl every day and night / And the reason I prowl so long, my baby don’t treat me right.

2. (US Und.) to rob (usu. a place).

1905		F. Hutchison Philosophy of Johnny the Gent 17: ‘You're like the guy that got his jeans prowled an’ then swore off goin’ to bed wit’ the door unlocked’.
1909		C.B. Chrysler White Slavery 70: Can you imagine some poor ignorant ‘stiff’ going out and ‘prowling’ some house, takin’ a chance on gettin’ his ‘roof blowed off,’ or gettin’ ‘slowed’ and ‘slammed’ in the stir for a ‘ten spot’.
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 238: ‘There’s fellers I know on the prowl-and-pinch-it start—’ ‘That’s thieving, that is,’ Amy explained.
1917		Cincinnati Enquirer (OH) 12 May 12/2: ‘I started tuh prowl (burglarize) this dump here’.
1929		E. Booth Stealing Through Life 149: And you’ve been doin’ a lot of prowling too – haven’t you?
1933		‘Goat’ Laven Rough Stuff 98: We figured that we might do a little prowling.
1936		(ref. to 1920s) L. Duncan Over the Wall 109: I prowled quite a respectable joint in a little town, where I got outfitted for clothing and a few bucks.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 164/2: Prowl. 1. To subject a place to a prowl.
1962		K. Orvis Damned and Destroyed 156: Take a look at dressed-up you! What did you do to get those glad rags. Prowl a suite in the Ritz?
1968		J. Colebrook Cross of Lassitude 101: The termites of the life [...] who prowl hotels, who throw their hats over keys left on hotel desks.

3. to inspect either a potential victim or the site of a possible robbery before carrying out the robbery.

1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 213: Say, you never ‘prowled’ the joint, did you?
1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 116: I’d rather ‘prowl’ one of them [i.e. gamblers or pimps] than any business man.
1942		N. Algren Never Come Morning (1988) 139: ‘What you here for, Ready-Money?’ ‘Attemp’.’ ‘Attempt to what?’ ‘Attemp’ t’ prowl a cah.’.
1951		J. Blake letter 25 Feb. in Joint (1972) 13: We did some boosting together and everything was cool, until he got drunk and was picked up for prowling cars.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 813: prowl – To look for information.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 126: I prowl Casa Connie.

4. (US) to search a person, to frisk someone.

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 98: Frisk An old term used to mean a ‘pat-down’ search of an inmate. […] (Archaic: prowl).