goblin
Syllables: gob·linUK/ˈɡɒb.lɪn//ˈɡɑb.lɪn/
goblin noun: traditionally, a supernatural being of folklore, typically small and grotesque or misshapen, that commonly haunts dark places, often mischievous or malevolent; a type of evil elf, sprite, or demon. Also the abbreviation of goblin shark.
Noun
goblin (plural goblins)
- Traditionally, a supernatural being of folklore, typically small and grotesque or misshapen, that commonly haunts dark places, often mischievous or malevolent; a type of evil elf, sprite, or demon.
- From yͤ hagg & hungry Goblin,
yͭ into raggs would rend yee,
& yͤ spirit yͭ stand’s by yͤ naked man,c. 1620, anonymous, “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song” in Giles Earle his Booke (British Museum, Additional MSS. 24, 665) - "[…]If he had struck a stroke more to the side just here," said the goblin, tapping the very stone, as it seemed to Curdie, against which his head lay, "he would have been through; but he's a couple of yards past it now, and if he follow the lode it will be a week before it leads him in.[…]"1872, George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin, page 50
- From yͤ hagg & hungry Goblin,
- In later fantasy literature, an evil and grotesquely ugly humanoid, typically powerful and warlike, often associated with orcs and trolls.
- At last the goblins had a chance to rid themselves of one of the troublesome defenders, and two goblin warriors snatched the opportunity.2006, Charlotte Bishop, Norty: The Chosen Ones, page 187
- The goblin shifted the two younger ones closer to him. It looked like he was hiding behind them, using them as a shield.
- The goblin looked pure evil. His eyes were brown.2010, Thom L. Nichols, War: Return of the Elves, Part 1, page 37
- A hoodoo.
- Layers of sandstone serve as capstones of pillars and buttes; other layers of differing hardness yield erosional goblins of myriad form.1975 June, United States Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System Draft Environmental Impact Statement part V: North Border, volume 1, page 209
Proper noun capitalized: GOBLin
GOBLin
Also used as
goblin is also the abbreviation of goblin shark.
goblin meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
goblin in Hindi
- गोब्लिन, गोबलिन
goblin in Tamil
- கோப்ளின்
goblin in Marathi
- hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
- गॉबलिन gŏblin
goblin in Urdu
- گوبلن, گوبلین
More languagesFewer languages
- goblin in Bengali
- গোবলিন, গবলিন, গোব্লিন
- goblin in Telugu
- గోబ్లిన్
- goblin in Malayalam
- ഗോബ്ലിൻ
- goblin in Kannada
- ಗೋಬ್ಲಿನ್
- goblin in Punjabi
- ਗੋਬਲਿਨ, ਗੌਬਲਿਨ
- goblin in Gujarati
- ગોબ્લિન, ગોબલિન, ગોબલીન
- goblin in Odia
- ଗୋବ୍ଲିନ୍, ଗୋବ୍ଲିନ, ଗବ୍ଲିନ୍
- goblin in Nepali
- गोब्लिन, गोबलिन, गब्लिन
- goblin in Tagalog
- tianak, patianak
- goblin in Malay
- afrit
- goblin in Indonesian
- hantu
Examples of goblin in a sentence
- I shall send another entourage of goblins back here to Desput with the goblins’ new ally the Pixy!2010, D. S. Macleod, The Middle Times: Rise of the Goblin King, page 229:
- From tabloid headlines insisting that coffee causes cancer (yesterday, of course, it cured it) to stern government warnings about alcohol and driving, the world is teeming with goblins.2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 76:
Synonyms of goblin
Forms of goblin
| plural | goblins |
|---|
Origin of goblin
From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”), whence English puck.
Words formed from goblin
Phrases with goblin
Words that rhyme with goblin
Questions about goblin
- What does goblin mean?
- Goblin means traditionally, a supernatural being of folklore, typically small and grotesque or misshapen, that commonly haunts dark places, often mischievous or malevolent; a type of evil elf, sprite, or demon.
- What is goblin in Hindi?
- Goblin in Hindi is गोब्लिन, गोबलिन. See Goblin meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use goblin in a sentence?
- I shall send another entourage of goblins back here to Desput with the goblins’ new ally the Pixy!
- What part of speech is goblin?
- Goblin can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce goblin?
- Goblin is pronounced /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/ (UK).
- What is the plural of goblin?
- The plural of goblin is goblins.
Words near goblin in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: goblin (page history and authors); GOBLin (page history and authors); goblin (Hindi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Urdu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); goblin (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-goblin.ogg.
Cite this entry: “goblin.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/goblin. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.