as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
in Europe, gnomes are thought to guard underground treasure, so that may be why statues of them are commonly placed in gardens
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gnome
This is the 10th anniversary of the first Masters gnome souvenir.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
There was a blithe, mildly stoned look in everyone’s eyes, and most of the women were dressed like gnomes while all the men appeared ergonomically outfitted to climb a cliff face but were instead commuting to their office jobs.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Some are purely photo ops, such as an opportunity for little ones to take a class photo with Bluey and her pals, while others aim to inspire exploration, such as a mini gnome village or fairy garden.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
With their tiny fences and cottages, a dozen gnomes stood stiff as if at attention yet looked so happy residing on their brook’s muddy banks.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gnome
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
There was a blithe, mildly stoned look in everyone’s eyes, and most of the women were dressed like gnomes while all the men appeared ergonomically outfitted to climb a cliff face but were instead commuting to their office jobs.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Some are purely photo ops, such as an opportunity for little ones to take a class photo with Bluey and her pals, while others aim to inspire exploration, such as a mini gnome village or fairy garden.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
With their tiny fences and cottages, a dozen gnomes stood stiff as if at attention yet looked so happy residing on their brook’s muddy banks.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gnome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnome
Noun
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Their modus operandi is to rescue interesting old buildings in a sorry state of disrepair and liberally sprinkle fairy dust over them.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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And creatures — fairies, a faun, the unforgettable Pale Man, with eyes in the palms of his hands — reveal a world of deeper and darker enchantment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
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There’s also caviar and cookies and Christmas trees and Housewives and Bravolebrities, all surrounded by twink elves in Christmas G-strings.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
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The company behind that trio of elves, some of the most iconic mascots in pop culture, is the same corporation that put breakfast on the table in the first place.—
Heather Bushman,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Over billions of years, the galaxy probably collided with smaller dwarf galaxies, which brought in fresh gas and stars and helped build up the outer spiral arms.—
Lisa Kewley,
The Conversation,
14 May 2026
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The shrub grows 6 to 15 feet tall; there are dwarf, medium-sized, and tall varieties.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Noun
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OpenAI leaned into the curious habit, choosing to highlight the goblin-forbidding prompt in a tweet.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
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The maker of ChatGPT has an explanation for all the goblin talk.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gnome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnome. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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