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

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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

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

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025

When the topic turns to her bookshelf, Thurman admits she’s become a fan of stories of orcs and elves in love.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2025

The elves who had brought the eclairs gave her disapproving looks as they returned to work.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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