Karloff

American

[kahr-lawf, -lof] / ˈkɑr lɔf, -lɒf /

noun

Boris William Henry Pratt, 1887–1969, British actor in the U.S.

Karloff British

/ ˈkɑːlɒf /

noun

Boris , real name William Pratt 1887–1969, English film actor, famous for his roles in horror films, esp Frankenstein (1931)

"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

Example Sentences

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Karloff

First elected as an MP in 1987, she faced cruel comments about her appearance, with one newspaper calling her "Doris Karloff" - a reference to an old Hollywood horror star.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

In my case, I had a book about horror films, and it had the Boris Karloff one where he’s a priest or something — he’s got a black altar with white crosses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

Elordi watched many Frankenstein movies, including the iconic 1931 version starring Boris Karloff as the monster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025

Your mind may float to 1931’s “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff or to Mel Brooks directing his 1974 “Young Frankenstein.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

If you want to see a Boris Karloff movie, you have to rent it and watch it on a television set.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023