Word.ws English Dictionary

troll

UK/tɹɒl//tɹɑl/

troll noun: a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges. Also the obsolete form of trull.

Noun (1)

troll (plural trolls)

  1. (European, also) a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges.
    • He followed their advice, and rode through a rye-field, where the Trolls were unable to follow him, but in their exasperation cried after him, "The red cock shall crow over thy dwelling." And behold! his house stood in a blaze.1851, Benjamin Thorpe, “Norwegian Traditions. [The Girl at the Sæter.]”, in Northern Mythology, […], volumes II (Scandinavian Popular Traditions and Superstitions), London: Edward Lumley, […], →OCLC...
    • The Scandinavian fancied himself surrounded by Trolls,—a kind of goblin men, with vast power of work and skilful production,—divine stevedores, carpenters, reapers, smiths, and masons, swift to reward every kindness done them, with gifts of gold and silver.1856, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Ability”, in English Traits, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, page 81
    Synonyms:
    trow
    1. (European, also, obsolete, Scandinavian mythology) A type of diminutive supernatural being; a dwarf.
      • The more usual appellation of the Dwarfs is Troll or Trold, a word originally significant of any evil spirit, giant monster, magician, or evil person; but now in a good measure divested of its ill senses, for the Trolls are not in general regarded as noxious or malignant beings. [...] They are...1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, pages 195-161
  2. (broadly, derogatory, slang) An ugly or unpleasant person.
    • The way Torchie had talked about him, I expected him to be some kind of troll. But he could have passed for one of those actors who makes a couple of movies, gets real popular with the girls for a year or two, and then vanishes from sight. He had that kind of face.1999, David Lubar, “Taking the Tour”, in Hidden Talents (A Tor Book), New York, N.Y.: Tom Doherty Associates, →ISBN, page 17
    • In this work, the abject object—a sculpture of a fat, hairy woman—is heartbreakingly comforted by a text that claims the artist's love and desire to protect the 'ugly' troll.2009, Judy Chicago, Sarah Quinton, Allyson Mitchell, Jenni Sorkin, When Women Rule the World: Judy Chicago in Thread: […], Toronto, Ont.: Textile Museum of Canada, →ISBN, page 96
  3. (broadly) An optical ejection from the top of the electrically active core region of a thunderstorm that is red in colour and seems to occur after tendrils of vigorous sprites extend downward towards cloudtops.
  4. (broadly, informal, Michigan) A Michigander who lives on the mainland, i.e. not a resident of the Upper Peninsula, so named due to living south of the Mackinaw Bridge.
    • People from the Upper Peninsula—the UP, or the Yoop—some-times call citizens of northern Michigan trolls, because they live “below the bridge.”2014 May, Jerome Pohlen, Oddball Michigan: A Guide to 450 Really Strange Places, Chicago Review Press, →ISBN

Verb

troll (third-person singular simple present trolls, present participle trolling, simple past and past participle trolled)

  1. (transitive) To move (something, especially a round object) by, or as if by, rolling; to bowl, to roll, to trundle.
    • Take trustie (to trust to) that thinkest to thee, / That trustily thriftines trowleth to thee.1878, Thomas Tusser, “A Briefe Conclusion, where You may See, ech Word in the Verse, to Begin with a T”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect...
    • [T]o trovvle in the caſh throughout all nations chriſtendome there is no fellovve to the red herring.1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 26
  2. (obsolete, transitive) Often followed by in: to cause (something) to flow or roll in like a stream.
  3. (intransitive) To roll; also, to turn round and round; to rotate, to spin, to whirl.
    • Mrs Putler, this is Lady—Lady—these tamn'd Southern names rin out o' my head like a stane trowling down hill— […]1818 July 25, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter XIII, in Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of Mid-Lothian), volume IV, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and...
  4. (intransitive) To move or walk at a leisurely pace; to ramble, to saunter, to stroll.
    • Prepoſt'rous foole, thou troul'ſt amiſſe: / Thou err'ſt; That's not the vvay, 'Tis this: / Thy hopes, inſtructed by thine Eye, / Make thee appeare more neare than I; […]1635, Fra[ncis] Quarles, “Canto XI. Mat[thew] VII. XIV.”, in Emblemes, London: […] G[eorge] M[iller] and sold at at Iohn Marriots shope […], →OCLC, book II, stanza 1, page 105
  5. (intransitive, slang, specifically) Chiefly of a man: synonym of cruise (“to stroll about to find a (male) sexual partner”).
  6. (intransitive, obsolete) Followed by in: to flow or roll in like a stream.
    • This little ape gets money by the sack-full, / It trolls upon her.c. 1623 (date written; published 1653), Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, John Ford, “The Spanish Gipsy”, in A[rthur] H[enry] Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton […] (The...
  7. (archaic, transitive) To sing the parts of (a catch, round, or similar song) in succession; also (generally), to sing (a song) freely or in a carefree way, or loudly.
    • [Caliban] Thou mak'ſt me merry: I am full of pleaſure,
      Let vs be iocond. VVill you troule the Catch
      You taught me but vvhileare?1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
    • His Sonnets charm'd the attentive Crowd, / By wide-mouth'd Mortal troul'd aloud; […]1663 (indicated as 1664), [Samuel Butler], “The Second Part of Hudibras. Canto III.”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678...
  8. (obsolete, transitive) To pass (something, specifically a bowl or other communal drinking vessel) from one person to another; to circulate, to send about.
    • And Tyb my wyfe, that as her lyfe / loueth well good ale to ſeeke, / Full ofte drynkes ſhee, tyll ye may ſee / the teares run downe her cheekes: / Then dooth ſhe trowle, to mee the bowle / euen as a mault worme shuld, / And ſayth ſweete hart, I took my part / of this ioly good ale and olde.c. 1553 (date written), “S.” [pseudonym; attributed to William Stevenson], […] Gammer Gurtons Nedle: […], London: […] Thomas Colwell, published 1575, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, signature B, verso
    • Trowle the boll, the iolly Nut-browne boll, / And here kind mate to thee: / Let's ſing a dirge for Saint Hughes ſoule, / And downe it merrily.1599 (first performance; published 1600), Thomas Dekker, “The Shomakers Holiday. Or The Gentle Craft. […]. The Second Three-mans Song.”, in The Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker […], volume I, London...
  9. (archaic, intransitive) Of bells: to ring a sequence of tones in a resounding manner.
  10. (archaic, intransitive) Of a person: to sing the parts of a catch, round, or similar song in succession; also (generally), to sing freely or in a carefree way, or loudly.
    • The Greeks figured Pan, the god of Nature, now terribly stamping his foot, so that armies were dispersed; now by the woodside on a summer noon trolling on his pipe until he charmed the hearts of upland ploughmen.1878, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Pan’s Pipes”, in Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co., […], published 1881, →OCLC, pages 280–281
    • [H]e trolled with ample lungs; and the sound of his voice took hold upon the hillside and set the air shaking in the leafy glens.1879, Robert Louis Stevenson, “[Upper Gévaudan (continued).] A Night among the Pines.”, in Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, 1st American edition, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 140
  11. (archaic, intransitive) Of a song: to be sung freely or in a carefree way, or loudly; also, of a tune: to be constantly in someone's mind.
    • I have had the moſt happy invention this morning, and a Tune trouling in my head; […]1677 (date written), John Dryden, The Kind Keeper; or, Mr. Limberham: A Comedy: […], London: […] R[ichard] Bentley, and M[ary] Magnes, […], published 1680, →OCLC, Act III, scene i, page 30
    • Then he strolled away, an air from "The Grand Duchess" lightly trolling from his lips.1890, J[ames] M[atthew] Barrie, “The Murder in the Inn”, in My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke, Boston, Mass.: Joseph Knight Company, published 1896, →OCLC, pages 248–249
  12. (intransitive, obsolete) Of a bowl or other communal drinking vessel, or the drink inside it: to be passed around from one person to another.
    • Novv the cups trole about to vvet the goſſips vvhiſtles / It poures dovvne I faith, they neuer thinke of payment.c. 1613 (date written), Thomas Midelton [i.e., Thomas Middleton], A Chast Mayd in Cheape-side. A Pleasant Conceited Comedy […], London: […] Francis Constable, […], published 1630, →OCLC, Act III...
    • Well can the green-garbed ranger tell, / How, when, and where, the monster fell; / […] / While round the merry wassel bowl, / Garnished with ribbons, blithe did trowl.1808 February 22, Walter Scott, “Introduction to Canto Sixth: To Richard Heber, Esq.”, in Marmion; a Tale of Flodden Field, Edinburgh: […] J[ames] Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and...
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  1. (transitive) To say (something) lightly and quickly, or in a deep, resounding voice.
    • VVhat does hee elſe but cant? Or if he runne / To his Iudiciall Aſtrologie, / And trovvle the Trine, the Quartile and the Sextile, / […] / Does not he cant? VVho here does vnderſtand him?1625 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Staple of Newes. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot […], published 1631, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iv, page 59
    • But they [people from Pisa] speak well out, trolling the words clearly over the tongue.1850, Leigh Hunt, “Lord Byron in Italy—Shelley—Pisa”, in The Autobiography of Leigh Hunt; […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 50
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To move (the tongue) lightly and quickly when speaking.
    • [T]hat fair femal Troop […] / Bred onely and completed to the taſte / Of luſtful appetence, to ſing, to dance, / To dreſs, and troule the Tongue, and roule the Eye.1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
  3. (intransitive) To speak lightly and quickly, or in a deep, resounding voice.
    • Such ſhuld be our trollynges⸝ Chriſt vs ſo teacheth / Commaunding euer peace⸝ amonges vs for to be / Vntruly he trolleth⸝ that otherwyſe preacheth / Styreng to any ſedicion⸝ malyce or enuye[1540], Thomas Smyth, “A Lytell Treatyse agaynst Sedicyous Persons”, in William Carew Hazlitt, editor, Fugitive Tracts Written in Verse which Illustrate the Condition of Religious and Political...
  4. (intransitive, obsolete) To move lightly and quickly; especially of the tongue when speaking; to wag.
    • Fill him but a boule, it will make his tongue troule, / For flowing speech flows from a [pot of good ale].a. 1617 (date written), Francis Beaumont, “The Ex-ale-tation of Ale”, in The Works of the English Poets, from Chaucer to Cowper; […], volume VI, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson [et al.], published 1810...
    • His tongue troules like a Mill-clack: a towzes the Lady ſiſters, as a tumbling Dog does young Rabets; […]c. 1635–1636 (date written), Iohn Ford [i.e., John Ford], The Fancies, Chast and Noble: […], London: […] E[lizabeth] P[urslowe] for Henry Seile, […], published 1638, →OCLC, Act III, page 39
  5. (transitive) To fish in (a place) using a running fishing line (that is, a line with a hook on the end which is drawn along the water surface, possibly a line which would originally have been spooled on to a troll (etymology 2, noun etymology 2, noun sense 8.1)).
    • Chearful at morn he vvakes from ſhort repoſe, / Breaſts the keen air, and carrols as he goes; / VVith patient angle trolls the finny deep, / Or drives his vent'rous plovv-ſhare to the ſteep.1764 December 19 (indicated as 1765), Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveller, or A Prospect of Society. A Poem. […], London: […] J[ohn] Newbery, […], →OCLC, page 10
  6. (figuratively, transitive) To attract or draw out (someone or something); to allure, to elicit, to entice, to lure.
    • One while they courſing went / Upon the top of all the ſkie: anon againe full round / They troll me downe to lower wayes and nearer to the ground.1567, Ovid, “The Seconde Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC, folio 18, recto
    • [M]y houſe is haunted / By a levvd packe of theeves, of harlots, murtherers, / Rogues, vagabonds, I foſter a decoy here, / And ſhe trovvles on her ragged cuſtomer, / To cut my throat for pillage.c. 1638 May 13 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), Iohn Ford [i.e., John Ford], The Ladies Triall. […], London: […] E. G. for Henry Shephard, […], published 1639, →OCLC, Act V, signatures I2, verso...
  7. (intransitive) To fish using a running fishing line.
    • I, nor chuſe to bear / The thieviſh nightly net, not barbed ſpear: / Nor drain I ponds the golden carp to take, / Nor trovvle for pikes, diſpeoplers of the lake.1713, John Gay, “Rural Sports. A Georgic. Inscribed to Mr. [Alexander] Pope.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, volume I, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], and Bernard Lintot, […], published 1720, →OCLC...
    • My flies alone disturbed the placid waters. A half-grown-up lad, who was standing behind me on the bank, advised me to "troll with bait"—a cluster of worms fastened to the hook, which is dragged in jerks over the surface of the water—and offered to find the bait for me.1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], “Legends of the Mill”, in H. L. Brækstad, transl., Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, London: Sampson Low, Marston...
  8. (Scotland, US, intransitive) To fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat similarly to trawling.
    • Their young men […] trolled along the brooks that abounded in fish.1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume (please specify |volume=I to X), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC
  9. (figuratively) To post irrelevant or inflammatory statements in an online discussion in an attempt to start a heated argument or to derail a conversation, either for one's personal entertainment or as part of an organized political campaign.
    • Don't pay attention to that guy, he's always trolling this board.
    • When an argument gets heated, it can often be difficult to figure out who's serious and who's just trolling.
  10. (broadly) To persistently harass someone over the Internet.
    • Many people have been trolling me due to my activism, but I don't let it get to me.
    • No one who spoke to Al Jazeera seemed surprised that 54 percent of girls had suffered some form of online harassment. […] Internet psychologist Graham Jones offers some explanations as to the mentality of people who troll online. In an email to Al Jazeera he explained that some forms of trolling...2013 December 24, Philippa H Stewart, “Online feminists are taking on the trolls”, in Al Jazeera English, archived from the original on 23 Jan 2021
  11. (broadly, colloquial) To prank, tease, or mess with someone in a lighthearted way.
    • The actress was widely trolled online after accidentally revealing that she didn't know the names of the continents.
    • This is lazy outrage bait. But I am biting anyway, because while Time could have trolled readers by calling a ban for the word on "feminist" any time, the magazine is considering it in a year when the conversation about the meaning of the term is as rich as it has been in some time–even if some of...2014 November 12, Alyssa Rosenberg, “Time Magazine’s silly proposal to ban the word "feminist"”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the...
    Synonyms:
    punk

Noun (2)

troll (plural trolls)

  1. An act of moving round; a repetition, a routine.
    • They [legislators] reduce men to looſe counters merely for the ſake of ſimple telling, and not to figures vvhoſe povver is to ariſe from their place in the table. […] The troll of their categorical table might have informed them that there vvas ſomething elſe in the intellectual vvorld beſides...1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page...
  2. An act of fishing by using a running fishing line, or by trailing a line with bait or lures behind a boat.
  3. A fishing line, bait, or lure used to fish in these ways.
  4. (figuratively) An inflammatory or insincere statement posted in an attempt to lure others into combative argument (a flame war), originally a way for regulars (long-time users) to poke light-hearted fun at new posters (especially in Usenet newsgroups) and promote in-group cohesion ("trolling for newbies").
    Synonyms:
    bait, flamebait, ragebait
  5. (broadly) A person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument for purposes of personal entertainment or to manipulate their perception, especially in an online community or discussion.
    • Katie Hopkins: My Fat Story 9pm, TLC The professional troll and one-time Apprentice stirrer piles on the pounds in order to shed them in this two-part doc, which feels at times like an overly long This Morning item.2014 December 19, “Friday 2 January's best TV”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 07 Nov 2023
    • That tendency to overdo it became visible as the worst kind of trolling on the internet about a decade ago, when griefers exported their habits from the gaming world into the larger world. […] From there, attacking people head-on—though almost always cloaked in anonymity—wasn't a big leap. And so...2016 June 8, Quentin Hardy, “How gaming helped launch the attack of the internet trolls”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original...
    Synonyms:
    ragebaiter, baiter
  6. (broadly) A person who sows discord, or spreads misinformation or propaganda, in order to promote an agenda as part of an organized political campaign.
    • Already, U.S. operatives in both parties have made early efforts at using trolls for political gain. Rogue progressives stealthily launched fake social media campaigns against Roy Moore, the GOP nominee for Senate in Alabama, during a 2017 special election. Their campaign aimed to confuse voters...2019 November 19, Shashank Bengali, Evan Halper, “Troll armies, a growth industry in the Philippines, may soon be coming to an election near you”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los...
    • Social media accounts tied to a group of Russian trolls are amplifying claims of election fraud, according to researchers at the Election Integrity Partnership, a coalition of misinformation experts.2020 November 3, Sheera Frenkel, “Russian internet trolls are amplifying election fraud claims, researchers say”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC...
  7. (broadly, derogatory, informal) A company, person, etc., that owns and legally enforces copyrights, patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights in an aggressive and opportunistic manner, often with no intention of commercially exploiting the subjects of the rights.
    • The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralysing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll.2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting: The president proposes a new round of intellectual-property reform”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC...
  8. A song the parts of which are sung in succession; a catch, a round.
    • At the opening of every club night he is called in to sing his "Confession of Faith," which is the famous old drinking trowl from Gammer Gurton's needle.1820 September 13, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Little Britain”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number VII, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […]...
    • And thence the catch and troll, while "laughter, holding both his sides" sheds tears to song and ballad pathetic on the woes of married life, and all the ills that "our flesh is heir to."1845, [John] Wilson, The Genius, and Character of Burns (Wiley and Putnam’s Library of Choice Reading), New York, N.Y.: Wiley and Putnam, […], →OCLC, page 103
  9. (obsolete) A small wheel; specifically (fishing), the reel or winch of a fishing line.
  10. (dialectal, obsolete, except UK) A trolley.

Proper noun capitalized: Troll

Troll

  1. (slang) a native or resident of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan

Also used as

troll is also the obsolete form of trull.

troll meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

troll in Hindi

giant supernatural being; grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges
ट्रोल ṭrol
person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument
ट्रॉल ṭrŏl
person who sows discord, or spreads misinformation or propaganda, in order to promote an agenda as part of an organized political campaign
ट्रॉल ṭrŏl

troll in Tamil

ட்ரோல், டிரோல், டிரால்

troll in Marathi

giant supernatural being; grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges
ट्रोल ṭrol
(transitive, intransitive) to make or post inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure (someone) into combative argument
ट्रोल करणे ṭrol karṇe
person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument
ट्रोल ṭrol

troll in Urdu

ٹرول, ٹرول کریں, ٹرول کرنا
More languagesFewer languages
troll in Bengali
দানব danob
troll in Telugu
ట్రోల్
troll in Malayalam
ട്രോൾ
troll in Kannada
ಟ್ರೋಲ್, ಟ್ರೊಲ್
troll in Punjabi
ਟਰੋਲ, ਟਰੌਲ, ਟਰੋਲ ਕਰੋ
troll in Gujarati
ટ્રોલ, ટ્રૉલ
troll in Odia
ଟ୍ରୋଲ୍, ଟ୍ରୋଲ୍ କରନ୍ତୁ
troll in Nepali
ट्रोल, ट्रॉल
troll in Arabic
طْرُول ṭrūl, مُتَصَيِّد mutaṣayyid
troll in Malay
troll
troll in Indonesian
troll
troll in Persian
ترول terol
troll in Thai
โทรลล์ trool, โทรล trool, เกรียน griian
troll in Vietnamese
quỷ khổng lồ

Examples of troll in a sentence

  • The bear got so angry that he rushed at the trolls and scratched them all over, while Peter took the other handspike and hammered away at them as if he wanted to beat their brains out.1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], “Peter Gynt”, in H. L. Brækstad, transl., Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk...
  • She sulked as we returned downstairs, her own more colorful clothes stuffed into her bright green shoulder bag. / "I just wish I didn't have to dress like such a troll." / "Troll?2010, Linda Francis Lee, chapter 13, in The Devil in the Junior League, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 116:
  • She fancied these Elysian shades / The sweetest place for masquerades: / How pleasant on the banks of Styx, / To troll it in a coach and six!1730, Jonathan Swift, “Death and Daphne. To an Agreeable Young Lady, but Extremely Lean. […]”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors...
  • [S]he vvould be more vvelcome to thee than a Reprieve vvould, if thou vvert juſt novv trolling out Hopkins and Sternhold upon a Ladder.1672, Thomas Shadwell, The Miser: A Comedy, […], London: […] Thomas Collins and John Ford, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 2:

All 40 example sentences with troll

Synonyms of troll

13 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

6 more antonymsFewer antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of troll

Forms of troll

Noun
pluraltrolls
Verb
third-person singular presenttrolls
present participletrolling
past participletrolled
pasttrolled
alternative formtrowl
alternative formtrowle
second-person singular present (archaic)trollest
second-person singular past (archaic)trolledst
third-person singular present (archaic)trolleth

Past tense of troll: trolled

Plural of troll: trolls

Origin of troll

Partly: * from Middle English trol (“demon (?); sorcerer (?)”) [and other forms], from Old Norse trǫll (“conjurer, mage; witch”), from Proto-Germanic *truzlą (“supernatural being; demon, fiend; giant; monster”), probably from *trudaną (“to step on; to tread”) + *-ilą (suffix forming agent nouns); and * borrowed from Norwegian Bokmål troll, Swedish troll, or Danish trold, from Old Norse trǫll (see above). Doublet of droll and trow. Cognates * Danish fortrylle (“to bewitch”), trylle (“to conjure”) * Icelandic tröll * Middle High German trol, crewtrolle (“spook, wraith; ogre, monster”) * Norwegian fortrylle (“to bewitch”), trylle (“to conjure”) * Swedish trolla (“to conjure”)

The verb is derived from Middle English trollen (“to go about, wander; to move (something) to and fro, rock; to roll; to turn”) [and other forms], of uncertain origin; perhaps in part from Old French troller (“to run here and there; to walk aimlessly, ramble, stroll; (hunting) to wander about looking for game”) (modern French troller); further etymology uncertain, yet probably from or related to Middle High German trollen (“to stroll, walk with short strides”) (modern German trollen (“to move slowly, trundle; to push off, toddle off”)), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *truzlōną (“to lumber”), which is probably related to *trudaną (“to step on, tread”) (see further at etymology 1). Doublet of trull. Verb etymology 2, verb sense 4.2.2 (“to fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat”) is possibly influenced by trail and/or trawl. The noun is probably derived from the verb. Noun etymology 2, noun sense 4 (“person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument”) is possibly influenced by troll (etymology 1). Cognates * Middle Low German drullen (“to stroll”) (Low German trullen (“to troll”))

A term coined by Yoopers to refer to residents of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, because trolls live "under the bridge" (referring to the Mackinac Bridge).

Words formed from troll

Phrases with troll

Words that rhyme with troll

7 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about troll

What does troll mean?
Troll means a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges.
What is troll in Hindi?
Troll in Hindi is ट्रोल (ṭrol), ट्रॉल (ṭrŏl). See Troll meaning in Hindi.
How do you use troll in a sentence?
The bear got so angry that he rushed at the trolls and scratched them all over, while Peter took the other handspike and hammered away at them as if he wanted to beat their brains out.
What part of speech is troll?
Troll can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce troll?
Troll is pronounced /tɹɒl/ (UK).
What is the plural of troll?
The plural of troll is trolls.

Words near troll in the dictionary

  1. trolamine
  2. troland
  3. trolands
  4. trold
  5. troleandomycin
  6. troll
  7. troll armies
  8. troll army
  9. troll bot
  10. troll bots
  11. troll cat

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: troll (page history and authors); Troll (page history and authors); troll (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Urdu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); troll (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.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-troll.ogg, Troll.wav.

Cite this entry: “troll.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/troll. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.