leprechaun
Americannoun
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a dwarf or sprite.
-
a conventionalized literary representation of this figure as a little old man who will reveal the location of a hidden crock of gold to anyone who catches him.
noun
Etymology
Origin of leprechaun
1595–1605; < Irish leipreachán, lucharachán, MIr luchrapán, lupra ( c ) cán, metathesized forms of Old Irish lúchorp ( án ), equivalent to lú- small + corp body (< Latin corpus ) + -án diminutive suffix
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.
A leprechaun costume at Notre Dame might seem silly, but Parker said Bowden owned it.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025
Most Americans are familiar with the Snap, Crackle and Pop kids, Tony the Tiger, the Lucky Charms leprechaun, the Trix rabbit, Toucan Sam from Froot Loops and dozens more.
From Salon • Jul. 23, 2024
There’s probably a little leprechaun one for St. Patrick’s Day.
From Slate • May 30, 2024
Things go terribly wrong, resulting in a comedic adventure involving an unusual dragon, bunnies in hazmat suits, leprechaun millennials and an overweight German unicorn in a too-tight tracksuit.
From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2022
“I asked the same question the first time I saw one. That leprechaun still sends me hate mail.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
