elf

noun

ˈelf How to pronounce elf (audio)
Definition of elfnext
as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers elves are often portrayed as rather mischievous

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 elf Just over a year after its acquisition, Hailey Bieber's brand contributed $160 million in quarterly sales of a total $479 million—as sales of elf's namesake brand slipped. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 Reading allows children to live in a vibrant world, surrounded by fairies, elves and talking animals, transporting them to places where the impossible becomes real. — Michelle Kearney, The Conversation, 7 July 2026 At the end of 2005-2006, a whole host of elves got arrested and were sent to prison. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 The new version will still have the traditional arrow counting down the days to the holiday but also will include moving elves who are helping prepare things for Christmas. — Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 30 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for elf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elf
  1. fairy
  2. dwarf
  3. goblin
  4. faerie
Noun
  • At a party one night, struggling musician Owen strikes a connection with a young woman (Sadie Soverall) that feels downright magical — she’s even dressed as a fairy, emphasizing the dreaminess of the moment.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The song ‘Enchanted’ is about falling in love and that sort of glittery, twinkly fairy lights feeling.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fairy
Noun
  • The image, captured a year earlier by the Hubble Space Telescope, showed UGC 9050-Dw1, a dwarf galaxy some 115 million light-years from Earth.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Watching all ten members sing at once is funny the way the seven dwarves all sleeping in their little beds next to each other is funny.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of dwarf
Noun
  • The magical ring that helped Bilbo escape the goblins had become an instrument of addiction and mass political control.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Two years ago, the Man City phenom appeared in a 90-second spot for the game that saw him get recruited to storm a castle teeming with goblins, dragons and impish skeletons.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of goblin
Noun
  • Maeve learns that the legends she was raised on — stories of faeries, kelpies and seelies — are actually true.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
  • The plays are set in locations as varied as courts, forests, battlefields, and even the realm of faerie.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of faerie

Browse Nearby Words

eleventh hours
elf
elfin
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Cite this Entry

“Elf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elf. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on elf

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elf

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