gremlin

noun

grem·​lin ˈgrem-lən How to pronounce gremlin (audio)
: a cause of error or equipment malfunction (as in aircraft) conceived of as a small mischievous gnome

Examples of gremlin in a Sentence

during the World Wars, fighter pilots adopted the fanciful notion that gremlins were responsible for mechanical failures on their planes
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari introducing new updates almost every week, Red Bull has precious little time to address its gremlins. Dan Cancian, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 Or Starliner has gremlins, which could explain a lot. David Szondy, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2024 Dinner severely lacks salt, and the salt gremlin at the back of my brain is not happy. R29 Team, refinery29.com, 12 Jan. 2024 Using the Windows install that comes out of the box is probably fine on most of these, but blowing away the existing install and starting fresh is the surest way to exorcise any gremlins. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gremlin 

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gremlin was in 1941

Dictionary Entries Near gremlin

Cite this Entry

“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gremlin. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

gremlin

noun
grem·​lin ˈgrem-lən How to pronounce gremlin (audio)
: a small mischievous or troublesome creature

More from Merriam-Webster on gremlin

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