What does "troll" mean?
a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges.
Troll
/tɹɒl/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges.
- Grammar: troll is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: advance, angle, anthem, argus.
- Useful contrasts: cast with pole, civil online discussion, constructive commenter.
- Usage evidence: Just one slip and you'll be mistaken for a troll and flamed.
How to use "troll"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "troll" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "troll" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges. European, also
"He followed their advice, and rode through a rye-field, where the Trolls were unable to follow him, but in their exasperation cried after him, "The red cock shall crow over thy dwelling." And behold! his house stood in a blaze."
- 2 An act of moving round; a repetition, a routine.
"They [legislators] reduce men to looſe counters merely for the ſake of ſimple telling, and not to figures vvhoſe povver is to ariſe from their place in the table. […] The troll of their categorical table might have informed them that there vvas ſomething elſe in the intellectual vvorld beſides ſubſtance and quantity."
- 3 angling by drawing a baited line through the water wordnet
- 4 An ugly or unpleasant person. broadly, derogatory, slang
"The way Torchie had talked about him, I expected him to be some kind of troll. But he could have passed for one of those actors who makes a couple of movies, gets real popular with the girls for a year or two, and then vanishes from sight. He had that kind of face."
- 5 An act of fishing by using a running fishing line, or by trailing a line with bait or lures behind a boat.
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 a fisherman's lure that is used in trolling wordnet
- 7 An optical ejection from the top of the electrically active core region of a thunderstorm that is red in colour and seems to occur after tendrils of vigorous sprites extend downward towards cloudtops. broadly
- 8 A fishing line, bait, or lure used to fish in these ways.
- 9 a partsong in which voices follow each other; one voice starts and others join in one after another until all are singing different parts of the song at the same time wordnet
- 10 A Michigander who lives on the mainland, i.e. not a resident of the Upper Peninsula, so named due to living south of the Mackinaw Bridge. broadly, informal
"People from the Upper Peninsula—the UP, or the Yoop—some-times call citizens of northern Michigan trolls, because they live “below the bridge.”"
- 11 An inflammatory or insincere statement posted in an attempt to lure others into combative argument (a flame war), originally a way for regulars (long-time users) to poke light-hearted fun at new posters (especially in Usenet newsgroups) and promote in-group cohesion ("trolling for newbies"). figuratively
- 12 (Scandinavian folklore) a supernatural creature (either a dwarf or a giant) that is supposed to live in caves or in the mountains wordnet
- 13 A person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument for purposes of personal entertainment or to manipulate their perception, especially in an online community or discussion. broadly
"Katie Hopkins: My Fat Story 9pm, TLC The professional troll and one-time Apprentice stirrer piles on the pounds in order to shed them in this two-part doc, which feels at times like an overly long This Morning item."
- 14 A person who sows discord, or spreads misinformation or propaganda, in order to promote an agenda as part of an organized political campaign. broadly
"Already, U.S. operatives in both parties have made early efforts at using trolls for political gain. Rogue progressives stealthily launched fake social media campaigns against Roy Moore, the GOP nominee for Senate in Alabama, during a 2017 special election. Their campaign aimed to confuse voters into thinking Moore supported banning alcohol and that Russian bots were working on his behalf."
- 15 A company, person, etc., that owns and legally enforces copyrights, patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights in an aggressive and opportunistic manner, often with no intention of commercially exploiting the subjects of the rights. broadly, derogatory, informal
"The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralysing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll."
- 16 A song the parts of which are sung in succession; a catch, a round.
"At the opening of every club night he is called in to sing his "Confession of Faith," which is the famous old drinking trowl from Gammer Gurton's needle."
- 17 A small wheel; specifically (fishing), the reel or winch of a fishing line. obsolete
- 18 A trolley. dialectal, obsolete
- 19 Obsolete form of trull (“a harlot”). alt-of, obsolete
Verb
- 1 Senses relating to a rolling motion.; To move (something, especially a round object) by, or as if by, rolling; to bowl, to roll, to trundle. transitive
"Take trustie (to trust to) that thinkest to thee, / That trustily thriftines trowleth to thee."
- 2 speak or recite rapidly or in a rolling voice wordnet
- 3 Senses relating to a rolling motion.; Often followed by in: to cause (something) to flow or roll in like a stream. obsolete, transitive
- 4 praise or celebrate in song wordnet
- 5 Senses relating to a rolling motion.; To roll; also, to turn round and round; to rotate, to spin, to whirl. intransitive
"Mrs Putler, this is Lady—Lady—these tamn'd Southern names rin out o' my head like a stane trowling down hill— […]"
Show 25 more definitions
- 6 sing loudly and without inhibition wordnet
- 7 Senses relating to a rolling motion.; To move or walk at a leisurely pace; to ramble, to saunter, to stroll. intransitive
"Prepoſt'rous foole, thou troul'ſt amiſſe: / Thou err'ſt; That's not the vvay, 'Tis this: / Thy hopes, inſtructed by thine Eye, / Make thee appeare more neare than I; […]"
- 8 angle with a hook and line drawn through the water wordnet
- 9 Senses relating to a rolling motion.; Chiefly of a man: synonym of cruise (“to stroll about to find a (male) sexual partner”). intransitive, slang, specifically
- 10 sing the parts of (a round) in succession wordnet
- 11 Senses relating to a rolling motion.; Followed by in: to flow or roll in like a stream. intransitive, obsolete
"This little ape gets money by the sack-full, / It trolls upon her."
- 12 cause to move round and round wordnet
- 13 Senses relating to the motion of passing around.; To sing the parts of (a catch, round, or similar song) in succession; also (generally), to sing (a song) freely or in a carefree way, or loudly. archaic, transitive
"[Caliban] Thou mak'ſt me merry: I am full of pleaſure, Let vs be iocond. VVill you troule the Catch You taught me but vvhileare?"
- 14 circulate, move around wordnet
- 15 Senses relating to the motion of passing around.; To pass (something, specifically a bowl or other communal drinking vessel) from one person to another; to circulate, to send about. obsolete, transitive
"And Tyb my wyfe, that as her lyfe / loueth well good ale to ſeeke, / Full ofte drynkes ſhee, tyll ye may ſee / the teares run downe her cheekes: / Then dooth ſhe trowle, to mee the bowle / euen as a mault worme shuld, / And ſayth ſweete hart, I took my part / of this ioly good ale and olde."
- 16 Senses relating to the motion of passing around.; Of bells: to ring a sequence of tones in a resounding manner. archaic, intransitive
- 17 Senses relating to the motion of passing around.; Of a person: to sing the parts of a catch, round, or similar song in succession; also (generally), to sing freely or in a carefree way, or loudly. archaic, intransitive
"The Greeks figured Pan, the god of Nature, now terribly stamping his foot, so that armies were dispersed; now by the woodside on a summer noon trolling on his pipe until he charmed the hearts of upland ploughmen."
- 18 Senses relating to the motion of passing around.; Of a song: to be sung freely or in a carefree way, or loudly; also, of a tune: to be constantly in someone's mind. archaic, intransitive
"I have had the moſt happy invention this morning, and a Tune trouling in my head; […]"
- 19 Senses relating to the motion of passing around.; Of a bowl or other communal drinking vessel, or the drink inside it: to be passed around from one person to another. intransitive, obsolete
"Novv the cups trole about to vvet the goſſips vvhiſtles / It poures dovvne I faith, they neuer thinke of payment."
- 20 Senses relating to a light, quick motion.; To say (something) lightly and quickly, or in a deep, resounding voice. transitive
"VVhat does hee elſe but cant? Or if he runne / To his Iudiciall Aſtrologie, / And trovvle the Trine, the Quartile and the Sextile, / […] / Does not he cant? VVho here does vnderſtand him?"
- 21 Senses relating to a light, quick motion.; To move (the tongue) lightly and quickly when speaking. obsolete, transitive
"[T]hat fair femal Troop […] / Bred onely and completed to the taſte / Of luſtful appetence, to ſing, to dance, / To dreſs, and troule the Tongue, and roule the Eye."
- 22 Senses relating to a light, quick motion.; To speak lightly and quickly, or in a deep, resounding voice. intransitive
"Such ſhuld be our trollynges⸝ Chriſt vs ſo teacheth / Commaunding euer peace⸝ amonges vs for to be / Vntruly he trolleth⸝ that otherwyſe preacheth / Styreng to any ſedicion⸝ malyce or enuye"
- 23 Senses relating to a light, quick motion.; To move lightly and quickly; especially of the tongue when speaking; to wag. intransitive, obsolete
"Fill him but a boule, it will make his tongue troule, / For flowing speech flows from a [pot of good ale]."
- 24 Senses relating to fishing.; To fish in (a place) using a running fishing line (that is, a line with a hook on the end which is drawn along the water surface, possibly a line which would originally have been spooled on to a troll (etymology 2, noun etymology 2 sense 8.1)). transitive
"Chearful at morn he vvakes from ſhort repoſe, / Breaſts the keen air, and carrols as he goes; / VVith patient angle trolls the finny deep, / Or drives his vent'rous plovv-ſhare to the ſteep."
- 25 Senses relating to fishing.; To attract or draw out (someone or something); to allure, to elicit, to entice, to lure. figuratively, transitive
"One while they courſing went / Upon the top of all the ſkie: anon againe full round / They troll me downe to lower wayes and nearer to the ground."
- 26 Senses relating to fishing.; To fish using a running fishing line. intransitive
"I, nor chuſe to bear / The thieviſh nightly net, not barbed ſpear: / Nor drain I ponds the golden carp to take, / Nor trovvle for pikes, diſpeoplers of the lake."
- 27 Senses relating to fishing.; To fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat similarly to trawling. Scotland, US, intransitive
"Their young men […] trolled along the brooks that abounded in fish."
- 28 Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction.; To post irrelevant or inflammatory statements in an online discussion in an attempt to start a heated argument or to derail a conversation, either for one's personal entertainment or as part of an organized political campaign. figuratively
"Don't pay attention to that guy, he's always trolling this board."
- 29 Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction.; To persistently harass someone over the Internet. broadly
"Many people have been trolling me due to my activism, but I don't let it get to me."
- 30 Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction.; To prank, tease, or mess with someone in a lighthearted way. broadly, colloquial
"The actress was widely trolled online after accidentally revealing that she didn't know the names of the continents."
Proper Noun
- 1 a native or resident of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan slang
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Just one slip and you'll be mistaken for a troll and flamed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "troll"?
Common synonyms include: advance, angle, anthem, argus, bait online, bait the hook.
How do you use "troll" in a sentence?
Just one slip and you'll be mistaken for a troll and flamed.
How do you pronounce "troll"?
Pronounced /tɹɒl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Partly: * from Middle English trol (“demon (?); sorcerer (?)”) [and other forms], from Old Norse trǫll (“conjurer, mage; witch”), from Proto-Germanic *truzlą (“supernatural being; demon, fiend; giant; monster”), probably from *trudaną (“to step on; to tread”) + *-ilą (suffix forming agent nouns); and * borrowed from Norwegian Bokmål troll, Swedish troll, or Danish trold, from Old Norse trǫll (see above). Doublet of droll and trow. Cognates * Danish fortrylle (“to bewitch”), trylle (“to conjure”) * Icelandic tröll * Middle High German trol, crewtrolle (“spook, wraith; ogre, monster”) * Norwegian fortrylle (“to bewitch”), trylle (“to conjure”) * Swedish trolla (“to conjure”)
Etymology 2
The verb is derived from Middle English trollen (“to go about, wander; to move (something) to and fro, rock; to roll; to turn”) [and other forms], of uncertain origin; perhaps in part from Old French troller (“to run here and there; to walk aimlessly, ramble, stroll; (hunting) to wander about looking for game”) (modern French troller); further etymology uncertain, yet probably from or related to Middle High German trollen (“to stroll, walk with short strides”) (modern German trollen (“to move slowly, trundle; to push off, toddle off”)), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *truzlōną (“to lumber”), which is probably related to *trudaną (“to step on, tread”) (see further at etymology 1). Doublet of trull. Verb etymology 2 sense 4.2.2 (“to fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat”) is possibly influenced by trail and/or trawl. The noun is probably derived from the verb. Noun etymology 2 sense 4 (“person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument”) is possibly influenced by troll (etymology 1). Cognates * Middle Low German drullen (“to stroll”) (Low German trullen (“to troll”))
Etymology 3
A term coined by Yoopers to refer to residents of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, because trolls live "under the bridge" (referring to the Mackinac Bridge).