elves

American  

[elvz] / ɛlvz /

noun

1. plural of elf.

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elves British  

/ ɛlvz /

noun

1. the plural of elf

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elves Cultural  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

More than 25,000 people attend the annual SantaCon event in New York City, dressed up as Santa Claus, elves and other holiday characters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Brownies at that time was a strange organization in which the girls were divided into groups named after different kinds of fairies—pixies, elves and gnomes were the groups in our outfit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

It's not every day that Father Christmas finds himself briefing his elves about the hazards of sunstroke, but this summer northern Finland has seen temperatures hover around 30C for days on end.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 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

He told the senior forester, who roared with laughter, then asked him if he had seen any elves skipping around toadstools too?

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford