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• Rumpelstiltskin
  Rumpelstiltskin

  noun

  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.
• “Rumpelstiltskin”
  “Rumpelstiltskin”

  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.

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

See Examples For:

Rumpelstiltskin “Rumpelstiltskin”

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

Like an evil Rumpelstiltskin, this polite killer — who is never named — can suddenly appear and vanish at will as he begins to haunt the book’s narrator, John Price.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2022

In Joe Sanderson’s case it was monumental, an enormous task to sort through, and Tobar became a ruminative Rumpelstiltskin, spinning this straw into gold.

From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2020

“The business is all about turning straw into gold,” says Smith, referencing Rumpelstiltskin.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 17, 2019

Like the miller’s daughter—the one who sat at night in a straw-filled room, thrilled with the secret power Rumpelstiltskin had given her: to see golden thread stream from her very own shuttle.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

“Rumpelstiltskin” is surely one of the more peculiar tales in the Brothers Grimm canon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

In Mr. Barnett’s hands, “Rumpelstiltskin” has undergone a very light refurbishing, keeping the original plot mostly intact with the welcome addition of the author’s trademark wry humor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Meyer recasts the fairy tale “Rumpelstiltskin” as a dark fantasy in which “the miller’s daughter” finally gets a name and the power that comes with it.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2021

When it comes to reimagined fairy tales, the reigning queen of the genre is Marissa Meyer, who puts her spin on the German classic “Rumpelstiltskin” in her latest novel, “Gilded.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2021

After “Rumpelstiltskin” come “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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