noun

troll

trol

noun

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."

Someone who posts such deliberately provocative content online.

"The video was flooded with comments from trolls."

verb

To post deliberately provocative or inflammatory comments online to upset people or derail a discussion.

"He trolled the comment section just to start an argument."

"She was banned from the forum for trolling other members."

To fish by trailing a baited line behind a slowly moving boat.

"They spent the afternoon trolling for mackerel off the coast."

How to Use Troll

Learner’s notes

In 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

trawl →

Common pairings

internet troll troll someone feed the trolls

Word Forms

trolled past tense, trolls plural, troll plural, trolled plural, trolls singular, troll singular, trolled singular, trollest singular, trolleth singular, trolledst singular

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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."

Rhymes for troll

doll roll toll moll poll Holl atoll knoll droll Kroll stroll scroll

See all rhymes for troll →