as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
during the World Wars, fighter pilots adopted the fanciful notion that gremlins were responsible for mechanical failures on their planes
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Recent Examples of gremlin
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 
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gremlin
Noun
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Obsessed with the fantasy genre, this uniquely creative queen designs and sews her own outfits, often with a ‘futuristic elf’ aesthetic.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 Jan. 2025
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Men in Santa Claus costumes and women dressed as elves are already converging on lower Manhattan to puke into gutters and pee between cars.—
Liam Sherwin-Murray,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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So as ghosts and goblins roam the streets this Halloween season, remember that market fears, like shadows in the night, are often more frightening in our imagination than in reality.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes,
29 Oct. 2024
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The event, at the Denver Savoy, will also feature a custom mini-labyrinth and a goblin band in addition to The Whimsy of Things.—
John Wenzel,
The Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.—
Robert Higgs,
cleveland,
1 Feb. 2023
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The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.—
Bryce Jones,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Jan. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gremlin. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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