hobgoblins

noun

Definition of hobgoblinsnext
plural of hobgoblin
1
as in dwarves
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in dreads
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason the fear of success and the pressures that come with it can be more of a hobgoblin than the possibility of failure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblins
  1. terrors
  2. elves
  3. goblins
  4. enemies
Noun
  • Watch Egerton discuss his airline travel terrors in the clip above.
    EW.com, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The most recent entry, Evil Dead Rise, stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland as two sisters trapped in a high-rise apartment as their family is possessed by supernatural terrors.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of terrors
Noun
  • New Bern Tours offers historic tours year-round, as well as a Beary Merry Christmas Lights Express event during the holiday season, complete with caroling and Santa’s elves.
    Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The elves have been busy getting toys ready for you and all the little boys and girls.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of elves
Noun
  • The grandfather is eventually kidnapped by goblins, forcing the siblings to find and rescue him while a witch named Muriel plans to unleash a powerful demon named Bahamut, which could mean the end of the world.
    Katcy Stephan, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Even some of the little neighborhood goblins stayed home – possibly to watch television.
    Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 28 Nov. 2024
Definition of goblins
Noun
  • For supporters, the appeal of his administration revolves in part around his promises to gut the federal government, seek retribution against his political enemies, and remake American institutions.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024
  • After Jeff the Land Shark was revived while in the fog, his teammates and enemies would not be able to see the special effects of Joyful Splash.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of enemies
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near hobgoblins

hobgoblin

hobgoblins

hobnob

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Hobgoblins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblins. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on hobgoblins

Nglish: Translation of hobgoblins for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...