troll

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtrōl 

: a dwarf or giant in Scandinavian folklore inhabiting caves or hills

troll

2 of 3

verb

trolled; trolling; trolls

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

also : prowl

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 troll entry 3 sense 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

b

: search, look

trolling for sponsors

also : prowl

2

: to move around : ramble

3

: to sing or play in a jovial manner

4

: to speak rapidly

troller

ˈtrō-lər 

noun

trolling

ˈtrō-liŋ 

noun

troll

3 of 3

noun (2)

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

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• brownie
• dwarf
• elf
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• fay
• gnome
• goblin
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• kobold
• leprechaun
• pixie
• pixy
• puck
• sprite

Verb

• comb
• dig (through)
• dredge
• hunt (through)
• rake
• ransack
• rifle
• rummage
• scour
• search
• sort (through)

Examples of troll in a Sentence

Verb

They were trolling the ocean floor.

She loves to troll flea markets looking for bargains.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gobert is a Joe Rogan fan-kind of annoying guy, a bit of a troll, French and rich and over it all. —Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2023

Then there are the trolls—users, often hiding behind the cover of anonymity, who deliberately try to offend others through insulting comments and messages. —Paige Hagy, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2023

Online trolls have compared Hotez to Hitler and Stalin. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023

Some American officials and social media executives have questioned how effective Russia’s troll farms and influence operations were in 2016, as opposed to hack and dump operations targeting Mrs. Clinton’s emails. —Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2023

On Tuesday, the musician, 44, shared a post on X (formally known as Twitter) after she was tagged in a doctored image by an internet troll, who wished her a happy birthday. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023

Now, the trolls are arriving in the Pacific Northwest. —Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2023

The story revolves around a fearless paleontologist who embarks on a journey to stop the troll from wreaking deadly havoc. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023

New this year, several massive troll sculptures are being built from reclaimed materials around Seattle by artist Thomas Dambo. —Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2023

Verb

Ukrainians hit back at Musk, accusing him of trolling and posting Russian propaganda. —WIRED, 25 Oct. 2023

That’s the basis of the latest TikTok prank, in which people troll their football-loving partners by posting videos suggesting the pop star has made the Kansas City Chiefs tight end famous. —David K. Li, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2023

Beckinsale has clapped back to people trolling her on Instagram in the past. —Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2023

The boat was targeting albacore by trolling a plastic squid spread 42 miles off the coast of southwest Washington. —Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 31 Aug. 2023

On August 25, the 46-year-old actor took a break from hilariously trolling his wife of nearly 11 years on her 36th birthday. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2023

Older girls at school discovered the videos and began trolling her online, commenting about how bad her voice was. —Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2023

On Saturday, during ESPN’s pregame show production, Alabama fans made sure to troll Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning. —Mark Heim | [e-mail], al, 9 Sep. 2023

No way should local PD be trolling around in military surplus. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Norwegian troll & Danish trold, from Old Norse troll giant, demon; probably akin to Middle High German trolle lout

Verb

Middle English trollen "to roll, rock (the head)," of uncertain origin

Note: Probably ultimately a sound-symbolic verb whose divergent meanings are difficult to reconcile historically, suggesting multiple creations or sources. The earliest meaning was "to roll" in various contexts; perhaps derived from this was "to sing in the manner of a round or catch." The sense "to roam" is possibly attested in the Piers Plowman B text ("And thus hath he [Jesus] trolled forth : this two & thretty wynter"), though the interpretation is uncertain and comparable instances are only known centuries later. This use has conventionally been linked with Middle French treler, traler, treiller "(of hunting dogs) look for prey without a trail or the use of a scent hound," and 16th-century troller "to wander from place to place (originally of a dog)." The sense "to fish by trailing a lure or bait from a moving boat," if not of independent origin, may have been influenced by trail entry 1 and trawl entry 1; also perhaps of relevance is French treuil "winch," though most early uses of troll in this sense do not employ a comparable noun in the meaning "winch" or "reel" (see, for example, Robert Nobbes, The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, London, 1682). Sense 2, attested from the early 1990's, is probably in part from the fishing sense, in part a derivative of troll entry 3.

Noun (2)

earlier, "the act of trolling" (in various senses), derivative of troll entry 1; sense 2 in part by association with troll entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1616, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun (2)

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

troll

1 of 3 verb

ˈtrōl 

1

a

: to sing the parts of (as a round)

b

: to sing or recite loudly or merrily

2

: to fish for with a hook and line drawn through the water (as behind a slowly moving boat)

3

a

: to harass, criticize, or antagonize (others or another) especially by disparaging, mocking, inflammatory, or offensive public statements, online postings, or acts

b

: to act as a troll (as on a website)

troller noun

troll

2 of 3 noun

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

troll

3 of 3 noun

: a dwarf or giant in Scandinavian folklore living in caves or hills

Etymology

Verb

Middle English trollen "to cause to move round and round"

Noun

from Norwegian troll and Danish trold, both meaning "a giant or dwarf of folklore"