Rumpelstiltskin

American  

[ruhm-puhl-stilt-skin] / ˌrʌm pəlˈstɪlt skɪn /

noun

1. a dwarf in a German folktale who spins flax into gold for a young woman to meet the demands of the prince she has married, on the condition that she give him her first child or else guess his name: she guesses his name and he vanishes or destroys himself in a rage.

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Rumpelstiltskin British  

/ ˌrʌmpəlˈstɪltskɪn /

noun

1. a dwarf in a German folktale who aids the king's bride on condition that she give him her first child or guess the dwarf's name. She guesses correctly and in his rage he destroys himself

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“Rumpelstiltskin” Cultural  

1. A fairy tale from the collection of the brothers Grimm. The title character, a dwarf, tells a woman who has promised him her first-born child that he will not hold her to her promise if she can guess his name. She finds it out, and Rumpelstiltskin, furious, destroys himself.

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Example Sentences

It’s hard to recall what she said, but her face was unforgettable – she wore the countenance of someone ready to go full Rumpelstiltskin and check out for a century.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2025

Princes and princesses, Goldilocks, Rumpelstiltskin and other foundational fairy-tale figures are suffering under the leadership of the “Fair One,” who has laid waste to the realm and aims to expand his dominion.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2022

After Rumpelstiltskin tricks him into making a pact, Shrek finds himself in an alternate version of Far Far Away, in which he and Fiona never met.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2019

She is the bestselling author of the Temeraire books, a fantasy series that adds dragons to the Napoleonic Wars, and Spinning Silver, which riffs on Rumpelstiltskin.

From The Guardian • Aug. 8, 2018

I fancied that a malevolent Rumpelstiltskin crept into my room at night and undid my best work, turning the gold of my efforts into pathetic dross on a wheel perversely spinning backward.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly