Definition of troll
:a dwarf or giant in Scandinavian folklore inhabiting caves or hills
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Origin and Etymology of troll
Norwegian troll & Danish trold, from Old Norse troll giant, demon; probably akin to Middle High German trolle lout
Definition of troll
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
- 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 3troll 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
2
:to move around :ramble
3
:to sing or play in a jovial manner
4
:to speak rapidly
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troller
noun
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trolling
nounExamples of troll in a Sentence
They were trolling the ocean floor.
She loves to troll flea markets looking for bargains.
Origin and Etymology of troll
Middle English, probably from Anglo-French *troiller, *troller; akin to Anglo-French troil, trolle winch
troll Synonyms
Synonyms
comb, dig (through), dredge, hunt (through), rake, ransack, rifle, rummage, scour, sort (through), searchRelated Words
frisk, pat down, shake down; audit, check (out), examine, inspect, investigate, review, scan, scrutinize, survey; ascertain, descry, detect, determine, discover, ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), learn, locate, run down, scare up, track (down); grub (about), poke (around); explore, probe, prospect, skirmish, snoop; browse, glance (over), look over; peruse, studyNear Antonyms
hide; abandon, lose; ignore, neglectDefinition of troll
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
First Known Use of troll
1869
TROLL Defined for English Language Learners
TROLL Defined for Kids
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