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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Her seven-minute, dialogue-free appearance alongside Boris Karloff as the Bride was legendary – she deserved to have her legacy remembered.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

The 1931 Boris Karloff version of the film played on the walls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

He has studied the voice work of Boris Karloff in the classic animated Grinch cartoon, as well as Jim Carrey and Benedict Cumberbatch, who both made Grinch live-action movies.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 6, 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