orc
noun
any of several cetaceans, as a grampus.
orc
1 American
[awrk]
/ ɔrk /
noun
orcs
plural
-
any of several cetaceans, as a grampus.
-
a mythical monster, as an ogre.
O.R.C.
2
American
abbreviation
orc
British
/ ɔːk /
noun
-
any of various whales, such as the killer and grampus
-
one of an imaginary race of evil goblins, esp in the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of orc
First recorded in 1520–30; partly from Middle French orque, a kind of whale, partly from Italian orca “large whale, fabulous sea monster,” partly from Latin orca, a kind of whale; see origin at orca ( def. ); see also Orcus ( def. ), ogre
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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.
See Examples For:
At another, Monet challenged an orc to solitaire instead of fighting it.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
Adar himself is still more elf than orc, or uruk, his preferred nomenclature.
From New York Times ● Oct. 4, 2022
It promises to be a gorgeous and exciting series, but for me, it will be tough to top the sight of a mother and son taking down a very scary orc.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2022
I'm using pots and pans on orcs, and Elijah's got the mithril vest to stave off the orc, or the whatever, the cave troll stabs him with the spear.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2022
Over the tunic went a coat of stout ring-mail, short for a full-sized orc, too long for Frodo and heavy.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Near Harrismith, O.R.C., in 1903, two herd boys with a troop of about a hundred goats and calves were caught by the hail.
From Jock of the Bushveld by Fitzpatrick, Percy, Sir
O.R.C., who is a well-known contributor to the American Rifleman and the Infantry Journal and Antiques and the old Gun Report.
From Murder in the Gunroom by Piper, H. Beam
And not just switching, but offering the orcs blueprints of the castle and giving them magic items he stole from his friends.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
When the topic turns to her bookshelf, Thurman admits she’s become a fan of stories of orcs and elves in love.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2025
Before long, Spencer was battling orcs and trolls on his phone while playing the new mobile game Warcraft Rumble.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2023
And leaving the orcs to fight among themselves wouldn’t be the worst thing.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2022
Sam had seen no arrows, but he guessed that the orcs had been shot down by others on the battlements or hidden in the shadow of the gate.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
