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hobbit

American  
[hob-it] / ˈhɒb ɪt /

noun

  1. a member of a race of imaginary creatures related to and resembling humans, living in underground holes and characterized by their good nature, diminutive size, and hairy feet.

  2. a nickname for Homo floresiensis.


hobbit British  
/ ˈhɒbɪt /

noun

  1. one of an imaginary race of half-size people living in holes

  2. a nickname used for a very small type of primitive human, Homo floresiensis , following the discovery of remains of eight such people on the Island of Flores, Indonesia, in 2004

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hobbitry noun

Etymology

Origin of hobbit

1937; coined by J. R. R. Tolkien in his fantasy novel “The Hobbit”

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.

According to Deadline, the “LOTR” project involving Colbert is tentatively titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” and is set more than a decade after the death of central hobbit Frodo.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Nicknamed the hobbit because of its small stature, the species challenged long-standing ideas about human evolution.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

A well-traveled hobbit named Trotter is revised into Aragorn, king of Gondor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Other posts made by Mr Wishart to the Grok chatbot included the questions "is it true you live in Elon Musk's house" and "can you draw a picture of Elon as a hobbit".

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

‘But what does the hobbit want all that water for? He has drunk, he has washed.’

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien