troll
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troll¹
- /tɹɒl/ UK
- /tɹəʊl/ UK
- /tɹɑl/ US
- /tɹoʊl/ US
Rhymes with -ɒl, -əʊl
Where it comes from
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”)
noun trolls
-
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.
Similar: trow
-
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 oblig
Similar: trow
-
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.
Similar: biffer, boner-shrinker, bonerkiller, buttface, choad, frump, minger, monkey, monkeyface, munter, pukeface, schlub · Opposite: beaut, beauty, bobby-dazzler, crumpet, dish, vision, dreamboat, eye candy, good looker, looker, lulu, sex on a stick
- 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.
- 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.”
troll²
- /tɹɒl/ UK
- /tɹəʊl/ UK
- /tɹɑl/ US
- /tɹoʊl/ US
Rhymes with -ɒl, -əʊl
Where it comes from
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”))
verb trolls · trolling · trolled · troll
- 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.
- Often followed by in: to cause (something) to flow or roll in like a stream.
- 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— […]
- 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; […]
- Chiefly of a man: synonym of cruise (“to stroll about to find a (male) sexual partner”).
- Followed by in: to flow or roll in like a stream. This little ape gets money by the sack-full, / It trolls upon her.
- 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?
- 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.
- Of bells: to ring a sequence of tones in a resounding manner.
- 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.
- 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; […]
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- 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
- 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].
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
-
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.
Similar: punk
noun trolls
- 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 ſubſt
- An act of fishing by using a running fishing line, or by trailing a line with bait or lures behind a boat.
- A fishing line, bait, or lure used to fish in these ways.
- 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").
-
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.
Similar: ragebaiter, baiter
- 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 int
- 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.
- 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.
- A small wheel; specifically (fishing), the reel or winch of a fishing line.
- A trolley.
- Obsolete form of trull (“a harlot”).
Troll³
Where it comes from
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).
proper noun
- a native or resident of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: gnome, lagging, fish, frost giant, ogre, ice giant, jötun, dwarf, jotun, jötunn, jotunn, giant, draugr, draug, kobold, kallikantzaros
Translations
Every language
noun giant supernatural being; grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges
| Español | trol, troll |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 트롤 teurol |
| 日本語 | トロール torōru |
| 中文 | 巨怪 jùguài |
| हिन्दी | ट्रोल ṭrol |
| Português | trol, trole |
| Français | troll |
| Deutsch | Troll |
| Ελληνικά | τρολ trol |
| Română | trol |
| Русский | тролль trollʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | quỷ khổng lồ |
| العربية | طْرُول ṭrūl |
| עברית | טְרוֹל t'rol |
verb to fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat
| Español | pescar con/al curricán, pescar a la cacea |
|---|
verb (transitive, intransitive) to make or post inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure (someone) into combative argument
| Español | trolear |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 荒らす arasu |
| 中文 | 釣魚 /钓鱼 diàoyú |
| Português | trolar, trollar |
| Français | troller |
| Deutsch | trollen |
| Italiano | trollare |
| Русский | тро́ллить tróllitʹ |
| עברית | הטריל hitríl |
noun act of fishing by using a running fishing line, or by trailing a line with bait or lures behind a boat
| 한국어 | 낚시 naksi |
|---|---|
| Русский | тро́ллинг trólling |
noun inflammatory or insincere statement posted in an attempt to lure others into combative argument
| Português | trolagem |
|---|---|
| Русский | тро́ллинг trólling |
noun person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument
| Español | trol, troll |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 트롤 teurol |
| 日本語 | トロール torōru, 荒らし arashi |
| 中文 | 噴子 /喷子 pēnzi, 酸民 suānmín |
| हिन्दी | ट्रॉल ṭrŏl |
| Português | trol |
| Français | troll |
| Deutsch | Troll |
| Ελληνικά | τρολ trol |
| Русский | тролль trollʹ |
| العربية | مُتَصَيِّد mutaṣayyid, طْرُول ṭrūl |
noun person who sows discord, or spreads misinformation or propaganda, in order to promote an agenda as part of an organized political campaign
| Español | trol, bodeguero |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 트롤 teurol |
| 日本語 | トロール torōru, 荒らし arashi |
| 中文 | 白目 báimù, 噴子 /喷子 pēnzi |
| हिन्दी | ट्रॉल ṭrŏl |
| Português | troll |
| Français | troll |
| Deutsch | Troll |
| Italiano | troll |
| Ελληνικά | τρολ trol |
| Română | troll |
| Русский | тролль trollʹ |
| العربية | مُتَصَيِّد mutaṣayyid, طْرُول ṭrūl |
| עברית | טְרוֹל t'rol |
Talk about this word "troll." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/troll. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. troll. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/troll "troll." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/troll.Cite this
@misc{troll_2026,
title = {troll},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/troll},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
