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trolls

Cultural  
  1. In Norse mythology, repulsive dwarfs who lived in caves or other hidden places. They would steal children and property but hated noise. The troll in the children's story “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” for example, lives under a bridge and is enraged when he hears the goats crossing the bridge.


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.

Japan is fighting back against online abuse of athletes and sports authorities have a warning for trolls planning to target competitors at this year's Asian Games: You are being watched.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

She claimed since the court ruling, "trolls" were using artificial intelligence to create videos of her animals looking unwell and post them online.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Luckily, while adolescent boys are those most vulnerable to predation from hateful trolls, they’re also the most open to correction.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2025

Hired patent trolls create what economists call deadweight loss: economic value destroyed by conduct that suppresses output and investment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

This was why the trolls could smell so much magic on me.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff