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

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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

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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

However, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI recently said it identified "goblin" and "gremlin" creeping into its systems' responses - a quirk it believes arose after a tool it trained to have a nerdy persona incentivised mentioning the creatures.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

“PS you’re giving off super gremlin energy. Not in a good way,” Del Rey added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2023

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

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

Nevertheless, the commander was not prepared to risk a computer crash in the middle of an alert, and so doused his cigar in the coffee cup of a passing gremlin.

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

Let's hope there will be no gremlins in Washington once the draw ceremony kicks off.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025

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

Or might the notoriously finicky electrical systems in British vehicles bedevil these vehicles with compounded gremlins?

From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2022

At one o’clock in the morning, my little brother, who in my lonely days of inferno dwelling had protected me from goblins, gnomes, gremlins and the devils, was leaving home.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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Related Words

• goblin

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