(in folklore) one of a class of preternatural beings, especially from mountainous regions, with magical powers, given to capricious and often mischievous interference in human affairs, and usually imagined to be a diminutive being in human form; sprite; fairy.
a diminutive person, especially a child.
a mischievous person, especially a child.
(in folklore) one of a kind of legendary beings, usually characterized as small, manlike, and mischievous
a mischievous or whimsical child
Plural word for elf The plural form of elf is elves, pronounced [ elvz ]. The plurals of some other singular words that end -f are also formed in this way, including leaf/leaves, wife/wives, and knife/knives. A similar change is made when pluralizing hoof as hooves. Irregular plurals that are formed like elves derive directly from their original pluralization in Old English.
See fairy.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, from Old English ælf, elf, ylf, akin to Old High German alp “incubus” ( Middle High German alp , German Alp “nightmare”), Old Norse álfr, Danish alf “elf” ælfen; see elfin
An elf is a mythological creature that's said to be tiny, magical, and a little mischievous. Elves are not just known for giving Santa a hand. In fact, ancient Anglo-Saxon medical books ascribed some illnesses to elves. Old English texts often blamed elves for sharp pains and mental disturbances — they were said to cause illness with sharp weapons, such as arrows. The folklore and myths of Scotland, Iceland, and Germany are particularly famous for the inclusion of elves. An elf's tiny size has also led to the use of elfin or elf-like to describe a small person's features: "His little elfin nose was so cute."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Entertainment groups representing big-ticket artists like BTS are suing the sellers of counterfeit merchandise ranging from an Ozzy Osbourne Christmas elf to $30 Lady Gaga candles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We’re in an elf rally, but we’re on our way to a Santa Claus rally,” said Chris Hyzy of Bank of America Private Bank during an interview Wednesday with CNBC.
From Barron's ● Dec. 4, 2025
She said she did not want to leave her job, but "had to make more money" and had worked in Tesco and as an elf at a Christmas event to supplement her pay from teaching.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025
A family member sent me an image of a baby dressed in an elf outfit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
There was no sign of the elf anywhere.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Beauty’s ELF -3.66%decrease; red down pointing triangle guidance for the year disappointed Wall Street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Beauty ELF -0.39%decrease; red down pointing triangle tanked after the beauty company issued guidance for the year below Wall Street’s expectations, as uncertainty swirls around the American consumer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
So the federal government went to work pursuing ELF members with alacrity, heaping sentence-lengthening terrorism enhancements on members to the point that, by 2006, the group basically ceased to exist.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025
But who was behind the ELF was just as much a mystery to the activist community as it was to the police, so Harvey decided to go undercover.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2022
"Out of eleven wells," says gentle Dulness, "EILF or ELF QUELLEN, whence its name, Elbe for ELF."
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 15 by Thomas Carlyle
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
They were some of the only people who could speak both the language of elves and of goblins.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
