as in fairies
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff," is the story of three goats trying to cross a bridge guarded by a nasty troll living beneath it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in searches
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
the owner of the bed-and-breakfast often trolls antique stores for furniture and knickknacks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 trolls
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
Any clear hierarchy of trustworthy information remains elusive as on-the-ground videos come from all directions, and government agencies are as likely to post memes as anonymous online trolls.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Scrubsnyc are a pair of internet trolls who livestream videos of themselves appearing to harass everyday New Yorkers, provoking outrage, and often finding themselves being thrown out of apartment buildings, bodegas and other establishments.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Even if a plan is solid, clowns and trolls might try to take it down anyway.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
Some of these trolls are merely pasting swastikas on their nihilism, but their ideological sincerity is irrelevant.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
A couple of days after Australian player Destanee Aiava took aim at internet trolls in a pointed retirement announcement, Badosa defended herself from online criticism after retiring from her Dubai Tennis Championships second-round match against Svitolina.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The national spotlight has attracted trolls from across the country and even overseas, city officials believe.
—Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Anonymous internet trolls keep up the sniping spirit so prevalent in the Victorian era.
—Melissa Chan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
On that track, Drake trolls a female friend’s meltdown over the galactic beat, which some fans believe may reference Kim Kardashian’s relationship with ex-husband Ye (formerly Kanye West).
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
On gossip website Just Jared’s Instagram page, which shared the statement, trolls had a field day in the comments section, and Heigl actually took the time to respond to a bunch of them.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
Any clear hierarchy of trustworthy information remains elusive as on-the-ground videos come from all directions, and government agencies are as likely to post memes as anonymous online trolls.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Scrubsnyc are a pair of internet trolls who livestream videos of themselves appearing to harass everyday New Yorkers, provoking outrage, and often finding themselves being thrown out of apartment buildings, bodegas and other establishments.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Even if a plan is solid, clowns and trolls might try to take it down anyway.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
Some of these trolls are merely pasting swastikas on their nihilism, but their ideological sincerity is irrelevant.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
A couple of days after Australian player Destanee Aiava took aim at internet trolls in a pointed retirement announcement, Badosa defended herself from online criticism after retiring from her Dubai Tennis Championships second-round match against Svitolina.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The national spotlight has attracted trolls from across the country and even overseas, city officials believe.
—Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Anonymous internet trolls keep up the sniping spirit so prevalent in the Victorian era.
—Melissa Chan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
The internet trolls livestream videos of themselves appearing to harass everyday New Yorkers and often finding themselves being thrown out of apartment buildings, bodegas and other establishments.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
On that track, Drake trolls a female friend’s meltdown over the galactic beat, which some fans believe may reference Kim Kardashian’s relationship with ex-husband Ye (formerly Kanye West).
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trolls
Noun
-
Dozens of dogs dressed as alligators, fairies and superheroes gathered Saturday at a Rio de Janeiro Carnival street party as their owners protested cruelty against pets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Plans include music, magic shows, face painting, stilt walkers, fairies, robots, a giant LED screen showing the ball drop from Times Square and more.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile at Standard Life, the insurer’s capital markets head Nuwan Goonetilleke will become its interim CIO as the company searches for a permanent successor to Eakins.—
Leonard Kehnscherper,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Attorneys and staff are taking on higher caseloads while Legal Aid’s executive director searches for funding to fill the gap, but donations are down across the board.—
Maddy Keyes,
The Frontier,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The theft follows a similar incident in December, when members of the same group flooded into a Montreal grocery store dressed as Santa Clause and his elves, stealing food and leaving some of it gift-wrapped under a nearby Christmas tree.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
One of Magnason’s first jobs was at the National Archives of Iceland, where he was surrounded by books about the old Norse gods, colonial histories, and even stories about elves.—
Marya E. Gates,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Henson was cast as Hoggle, one of the film’s most prominent goblins and Sarah’s reluctant ally, while also managing puppeteering responsibilities behind the scenes.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The kallikantzaroi are a group of blind, black goblins who live underground during most of the year sawing at the world tree – a motif throughout various folklores that connects the heavens to the Earth.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Then, as the afternoon sunshine rakes across the river valley, the group will return to the Birdwing—where canvas and paints await, according to a news release.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Participants are encouraged to bring their own shovel, gloves, and rakes as limited tools will be provided at the event.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At scale, this dwarfs data center optimization gains.—
Arjun Sharma,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The ditch that’s up to 19 feet deep dwarfs the heavy machinery inside of it.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trolls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trolls. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
