noun
Uncommon
troll
trol
Troll (noun) means In folklore, a large, often ugly supernatural creature living in caves, hills, or under bridges. Example: “In the fairy tale, a troll guarded the bridge and demanded a toll.”
noun
1
In folklore, a large, often ugly supernatural creature living in caves, hills, or under bridges.
"In the fairy tale, a troll guarded the bridge and demanded a toll."
"The children's book describes a troll who lives under the old stone bridge."
"Legend says a troll sleeps in the cave and wakes only at night."
2
Someone who posts such deliberately provocative content online.
"The video was flooded with comments from trolls."
"Don't feed the troll; just ignore him and he will go away."
"She blocked the troll after he posted rude jokes under every photo."
3
informal A person who deliberately posts inflammatory, off-topic or provocative messages online to upset people or derail a discussion, typically for their own amusement.
"The comment section was flooded with trolls trying to start arguments."
"A troll joined the forum and posted insults to spoil the debate."
"Moderators banned the troll for derailing every thread about the football match."
verb
1
To post deliberately provocative or inflammatory comments online to upset people or derail a discussion.
"He was banned from the forum for trolling other users."
"He trolled the comment section just to start an argument."
"She was banned from the forum for trolling other members."
2
To fish by trailing a baited line behind a slowly moving boat.
"They spent the afternoon trolling for mackerel off the coast."
"Anglers often troll slowly along the edge of the lake at dawn."
"We trolled behind the boat for hours but caught nothing."
How to use troll
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA mythical monster, or someone who stirs up trouble online for fun.
Common mistake
Don't confuse the fishing sense of "troll" with "trawl" (dragging a net) — they describe different techniques.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
internet troll
troll someone
feed the trolls
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Word forms
- Plural
- trolls
- Third person singular
- trolls
- Past tense
- trolled
- Archaic forms
- trollest, trolleth, trolledst
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
In the fairy tale, a _____ guarded the bridge and demanded a toll.
Etymology
The folklore sense comes from Old Norse trǫll ("giant, demon, sorcerer"); the internet sense grew from an unrelated older meaning of "troll" tied to fishing (trailing a line) and provoking a reaction, and is a doublet of "droll."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for troll
See all rhymes for troll →Frequently asked questions
What does “troll” mean?
The word “troll” means in folklore, a large, often ugly supernatural creature living in caves, hills, or under bridges. In plain terms, a mythical monster, or someone who stirs up trouble online for fun.
How do you pronounce “troll”?
“Troll” is pronounced trol (/tɹɑl/ in IPA).
How do you use “troll” in a sentence?
Here is “troll” used in a sentence: “In the fairy tale, a troll guarded the bridge and demanded a toll.”
What part of speech is “troll”?
Depending on how it is used, “troll” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “troll” come from?
The word “troll” comes from Old Norse.
Is “troll” a common word?
“Troll” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “troll” have?
“Troll” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: in folklore, a large, often ugly supernatural creature living in caves, hills, or under bridges.
What is an internet troll?
An internet troll is someone who deliberately posts inflammatory, off-topic, insincere or provocative comments online — usually anonymously — to upset people, derail conversation or get a reaction, purely for their own amusement.
What is trolling?
Trolling is the act of deliberately posting provocative or insincere content online to upset, anger or manipulate other users, typically for entertainment rather than to make a genuine point.
What is the difference between a troll and a hater?
A hater genuinely dislikes something and says so, often repeatedly and sincerely. A troll doesn't necessarily believe what they're posting at all — the goal is to provoke a reaction, not to express a real opinion.
Where does "internet troll" come from?
Most language historians trace it to "trolling" as a fishing technique (dragging bait slowly behind a boat to see what bites), applied to early internet forums in the 1990s to describe someone dragging a provocative post through a discussion to see who takes the bait. The mythical troll creature likely reinforced the term's popularity but probably isn't its origin.
Is trolling illegal?
Ordinary rude or annoying trolling generally isn't illegal, but trolling that crosses into harassment, threats, stalking or coordinated abuse can breach harassment laws in many countries, as well as almost every platform's terms of service.
How do you deal with an online troll?
The most common advice is "don't feed the troll" — avoid reacting emotionally, since a reaction is usually the goal. Most platforms also let you block, mute or report accounts engaged in trolling or harassment.
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