elves

American

[elvz] / ɛlvz /

noun

plural of elf.

elves British

/ ɛlvz /

noun

the plural of elf

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

elves Cultural

Often small, mischievous creatures thought to have magical powers. Although some elves are friendly to humans, others are spiteful and destructive. Elves have long been a staple of folklore, from Germanic mythology to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, in which the elves speak a special language called Elvish.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

elves

She was alive to folklore that told of fairies and elves and the lingering dead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Some of my favorite comics are also experts on elves and superheroes.

From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026

You can watch our soldiers rappel out of one of the Seahawks just like Santa’s elves.

From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025

"All the other children were dressed as elves," she said.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025

In the morning, Slannen asked me to show my book to the other elves.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023