gremlin

American  

[grem-lin] / ˈgrɛm lɪn /

noun

• gremlins
  plural

1. a mischievous invisible being, said by airplane pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties.

2. any cause of trouble, difficulties, etc., especially in a mechanical, electrical, computer, or other system.

   A loose wire was the gremlin that blew out the lights.

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gremlin British  

/ ˈɡrɛmlɪn /

noun

1. an imaginary imp jokingly said to be responsible for malfunctions in machinery

2. any mischievous troublemaker

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Synonym Usage

See goblin.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gremlins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gremlin

First recorded in 1925–30; of obscure origin; in its earliest attested use, an RAF term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man assigned the most onerous duties; later development perhaps affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin

Explanation

A gremlin is a mischievous mythical creature that's said to cause trouble to machinery, particularly in airplanes. When you're a nervous flyer, the last thing you want to think about is gremlins messing with the plane's engines. The word gremlin first appeared in print in 1929. It emerged from the U.K.'s Royal Air Force aviator slang (possibly influenced by goblin), and it became especially popular during World War II. Gremlins were described as tricksters that could be blamed for engine malfunctions and other mysterious, unexplained mechanical problems. Gremlin was also the name of a Marvel Comics character and a 1970s AMC car, and Gremlins was a popular 1984 film.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gremlin gremlins

I turned into a little party gremlin sheltering in place, you know?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

The title characters have classic toon precedent — remember the maladroit elves in Tex Avery’s 1950 “The Peachy Cobbler,” or the gremlin in that Bugs Bunny cartoon?

From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2022

It came after a difficult night for Red Bull, in which they made a number of changes to the car chasing a technical gremlin.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2022

But if you are plant-based and seeking to appease the dopamine gremlin in your brain with a quick hit, then these KFC Beyond nuggets are worth a try.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2022

“Well?” said Root, slapping at a paramedic gremlin who was applying burn salve to his forehead.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

In a blog post titled “Where the goblins came from,” it said that a safety researcher had flagged several mentions of goblins and gremlins while testing a model released in November.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

As mechanized as a race — or a movie — can feel, success or failure hinge on the human element, the hero battling the gremlins in the machine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025

Labubus are furry snaggletoothed gremlins, which are designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung and sold by Chinese toy company Pop Mart.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2025

Whatever qualms I had were the kind of technical gremlins that taunt any opening night.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2022

She held up a picture of Pandora opening up the box and a whole shebang of gremlins floating out.

From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech

Related Words

• goblin