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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gremlin The holiday tale doubles as a good entry into horror for youngsters, with a small town beset by freaky gremlins because teenagers can't follow simple instructions. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024 Yet in their original form gremlins are alive and well, living under new names—daemons, worms, virtual pets. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2024 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 See All Example Sentences for gremlin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gremlin
Noun
  • The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community helped Santa’s elves during the recent holiday season in collecting nearly 1,700 toys and bikes that were then donated to local organizations for distribution to families in need in the Twin Cities metro area.
    Jacqueline Devine, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The story follows Ferrell as Buddy, a human man raised by Santa's elves, who ultimately leaves the North Pole to search for his biological father (James Caan) in New York City.
    Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Kids consider costumes ranging from spooky goblins to little angels, and parents begin considering how to ration the candy collected after a long night of trick-or-treating.
    Sen. Dan Hall, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
  • This is your starting point, and where the brother from the story encountered the water goblin.
    Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.
    Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
  • 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 3 Apr. 2025.

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