goblin
Americannoun
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Related Words
Goblin, gnome, gremlin refer to supernatural beings thought to be malevolent to people. Goblins are demons of any size, usually in human or animal form, that are supposed to assail, afflict, and even torture human beings: “Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd, …” (Shakespeare, Hamlet I, iv ). Gnomes are small beings, like ugly little old men, who live in the earth, guarding mines, treasures, etc. They are mysteriously malevolent and terrify human beings by causing dreadful mishaps to occur. Gremlins are thought to disrupt machinery and are active in modern folklore.
Etymology
Origin of goblin
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gobelin, from Middle French, from Middle High German kobold “goblin”; kobold
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.
It is the fourth consecutive year that the public have played a part in picking Oxford's word of the year, after an inaugural public vote in 2022 saw "goblin mode" prevail.
From Barron's
Previous Oxford words of the year have included selfie, goblin mode and rizz.
From BBC
When Maya and Jamie forget to keep the Redcaps fed, the goblins get hungry for more than a snack.
From New York Times
The show’s costumes appear to include not only animals, but a devil, a goblin, a scarecrow, a “Wizard of Oz”-reminiscent tin man and what appears to be a mummified Egyptian king.
From Washington Post
Specifically, parks set up scare zones, midways and haunted houses for guests to roam through as ghouls and goblins chase and scare them.
From Washington Times
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.
