troll

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtrōl 

: a dwarf or giant in Scandinavian folklore inhabiting caves or hills

troll

2 of 3

verb

trolled; trolling; trolls

transitive verb

1

a

: to fish for by trolling

b

: to fish by trolling in

troll lakes

c

: to pull through the water in trolling

troll a lure

d

: to search in or at

trolls flea markets for bargains

also : prowl

troll nightclubs

2

a

: to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content

… trolls engage in the most outrageous and offensive behaviors possible—all the better to troll you with.

—Whitney Phillips

b

: to act as a troll (see troll entry 3 sense 2) on (a forum, site, etc.)

… is also notorious, for trolling message boards on the Internet, posting offensive material he himself has written and then suing anyone who responds in agreement.

—Mark Hemingway

c

: to harass, criticize, or antagonize (someone) especially by provocatively disparaging or mocking public statements, postings, or acts

The switch came after the Chargers became the butt of jokes, memes and derision on social media. The NFL tweeted the initial logo Thursday, but later deleted it as the Chargers even got trolled by other pro and college sports teams over the logo that looked like a cross between baseball's Dodgers and hockey's Lightning.

—Arnie Stapleton

But [Niki] Caro told The Los Angeles Times this week that there might be music after all. Caro said she got trolled by fans because of the rumor of a lack of music.

—Herb Scribner

The club has been trolled in a brutal (and somewhat brilliant) manner—by having a giant poster of Tevez scoring his last-day winner plastered outside their Bramall Lane ground.

—Will Magee

3

: to cause to move round and round : roll

4

a

: to sing the parts of (something, such as a round or catch) in succession

b

: to sing loudly

c

: to celebrate in song

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fish by trailing a lure or baited hook from a moving boat

b

: search, look

trolling for sponsors

also : prowl

2

: to move around : ramble

3

: to sing or play in a jovial manner

4

: to speak rapidly

troller

ˈtrō-lər 

noun

trolling

ˈtrō-liŋ 

noun

troll

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a lure or a line with its lure and hook used in trolling

2

: a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content

Internet trolls

In the late 1980s, Internet users adopted the word "troll" to denote someone who intentionally disrupts online communities.

—Mattathias Schwartz

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• brownie
• dwarf
• elf
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• fay
• gnome
• goblin
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• kobold
• leprechaun
• pixie
• pixy
• puck
• sprite

Verb

• comb
• dig (through)
• dredge
• hunt (through)
• rake
• ransack
• rifle
• rummage
• scour
• search
• sort (through)

Examples of troll in a Sentence

Noun (1)

"The Three Billy Goats Gruff," is the story of three goats trying to cross a bridge guarded by a nasty troll living beneath it

Verb

They were trolling the ocean floor.

She loves to troll flea markets looking for bargains.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Microsoft’s Tay in 2016 is a prime example of chatbot training gone awry — within 24 hours of its launch, internet trolls manipulated Tay into spouting offensive language. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

There are dragons and trolls in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, along with important swords and a race of long-lived elflike people called the Sithi, but Williams subverts the usual tropes. —Sarah Jones, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024

Verb

When Assad and other top government officials vanished from Syria after reportedly resigning and hosting negotiations with rebel groups who started seizing control of the Middle Eastern country last weekend, prominent critics of Trump and his allies trolled Gabbard on social media. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024

The Bills social media team trolled those who doubted them in the preseason, posting a montage of experts predicting the Dolphins or Jets as the AFC East winner. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Norwegian troll & Danish trold, from Old Norse troll giant, demon; probably akin to Middle High German trolle lout

Verb

Middle English trollen "to roll, rock (the head)," of uncertain origin

Note: Probably ultimately a sound-symbolic verb whose divergent meanings are difficult to reconcile historically, suggesting multiple creations or sources. The earliest meaning was "to roll" in various contexts; perhaps derived from this was "to sing in the manner of a round or catch." The sense "to roam" is possibly attested in the Piers Plowman B text ("And thus hath he [Jesus] trolled forth : this two & thretty wynter"), though the interpretation is uncertain and comparable instances are only known centuries later. This use has conventionally been linked with Middle French treler, traler, treiller "(of hunting dogs) look for prey without a trail or the use of a scent hound," and 16th-century troller "to wander from place to place (originally of a dog)." The sense "to fish by trailing a lure or bait from a moving boat," if not of independent origin, may have been influenced by trail entry 1 and trawl entry 1; also perhaps of relevance is French treuil "winch," though most early uses of troll in this sense do not employ a comparable noun in the meaning "winch" or "reel" (see, for example, Robert Nobbes, The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, London, 1682). Sense 2, attested from the early 1990's, is probably in part from the fishing sense, in part a derivative of troll entry 3.

Noun (2)

earlier, "the act of trolling" (in various senses), derivative of troll entry 1; sense 2 in part by association with troll entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1616, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun (2)

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

troll

1 of 3 verb

ˈtrōl 

1

a

: to sing the parts of (as a round)

b

: to sing or recite loudly or merrily

2

: to fish for with a hook and line drawn through the water (as behind a slowly moving boat)

3

a

: to harass, criticize, or antagonize (others or another) especially by disparaging, mocking, inflammatory, or offensive public statements, online postings, or acts

b

: to act as a troll (as on a website)

troller noun

troll

2 of 3 noun

1

: a lure or a line with its lure and hook used in trolling

2

: a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content

troll

3 of 3 noun

: a dwarf or giant in Scandinavian folklore living in caves or hills

Etymology

Verb

Middle English trollen "to cause to move round and round"

Noun

from Norwegian troll and Danish trold, both meaning "a giant or dwarf of folklore"