troll

[trohl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR troll ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to sing or utter in a full, rolling voice.

to sing in the manner of a round or catch.

to fish for or in with a moving line, working the line up or down with a rod, as in fishing for pike, or trailing the line behind a slow-moving boat.

to move (the line or bait) in doing this.

to cause to turn round and round; roll.

Obsolete. to hand around, as a bowl of liquor at table.

Digital Technology. Informal.

to post inflammatory or inappropriate messages or comments on (the Internet, especially a message board) for the purpose of upsetting other users and provoking a response.
to upset or provoke (other users) by posting such messages or comments.

verb (used without object)

to sing with a full, rolling voice; give forth full, rolling tones.

to be uttered or sounded in such tones.

to fish by trolling.

to roll; turn round and round.

to move nimbly, as the tongue in speaking.

Digital Technology. Informal. to post inflammatory or inappropriate messages or comments online for the purpose of upsetting other users and provoking a response.

noun

a song whose parts are sung in succession; a round.

the act of trolling.

a lure used in trolling for fish.

the fishing line containing the lure and hook for use in trolling.

Digital Technology. Informal. a person who posts inflammatory or inappropriate messages or comments online for the purpose of upsetting other users and provoking a response.

Nearby words

Origin of troll

1350–1400; Middle English trollen to roll, stroll < Middle French troller to run here and there < Middle High German trollen walk or run with short steps

Related formstroll·er, nounun·trolled, adjective

Can be confusedtrawl troll

troll

[trohl]

noun

(in Scandinavian folklore) any of a race of supernatural beings, sometimes conceived as giants and sometimes as dwarfs, inhabiting caves or subterranean dwellings.

Slang. a person who lives or sleeps in a park or under a viaduct or bridge, as a derelict or poor person.

Origin of troll

First recorded in 1610–20, troll is from the Old Norse word troll demon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for troll

The problem, as Weaver and Clark explained, is that this group drools at the opportunity to troll something like ReaganBook.
ReaganBook Is the Latest Conservative #Fail|Gideon Resnick|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For many supporters of GOProud, being called a “troll” was a badge of honor.
Inside the Implosion of GOProud, the Right’s Most Notorious Pro-Gay Group|Tim Mak|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My wife used to work at the U.S. Department of Commerce – what if Aaron Alexis had decided to troll the hallways there?
Gun Crazy: No More 'Thoughts and Prayers'|Joshua DuBois|September 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the first episode of his IFC show, Maron encounters an Internet troll who is critical of his podcast.
Meet Marc Maron: the Comedic Podcast Giant on His New IFC Show & More|Jean Trinh|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Violentacrez and his ilk were free to troll: to post objectionable, offensive garbage.
Why Gawker Should Lose Its War With Reddit|Alex Klein|October 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At the same moment the troll fell dead and turned into pieces of flint.
The Pink Fairy Book|Various
When he had done this the troll again said some words to him, and with that he became a raven, and flew high up into the air.
The Pink Fairy Book|Various
"It's all ready for me here, and I will eat," said the troll.
Folk Tales Every Child Should Know|Various
For pain will not troll off as pleasure doth, nor imitate it in its pleasing and tickling touches.
Essays and Miscellanies|Plutarch
The troll then gave the old man a sackful of money, and laden with this he betook himself homewards.
The Pink Fairy Book|Various

British Dictionary definitions for troll

troll

verb

angling

to draw (a baited line, etc) through the water, often from a boat
to fish (a stretch of water) by trolling
to fish (for) by trolling

to roll or cause to roll

archaic to sing (a refrain, chorus, etc) or (of a refrain, etc) to be sung in a loud hearty voice

(intr) British informal to walk or stroll

(intr) homosexual slang to stroll around looking for sexual partners; cruise

(intr) computing slang to post deliberately inflammatory articles on an internet discussion board

noun

the act or an instance of trolling

angling a bait or lure used in trolling, such as a spinner

computing slang a person who submits deliberately inflammatory articles to an internet discussion

Derived Formstroller, noun

Word Origin for troll

C14: from Old French troller to run about; related to Middle High German trollen to run with short steps

noun

(in Scandinavian folklore) one of a class of supernatural creatures that dwell in caves or mountains and are depicted either as dwarfs or as giants

Word Origin for troll

C19: from Old Norse: demon; related to Danish trold

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

Word Origin and History for troll

troll

late 14c., "to go about, stroll," later (early 15c.) "roll from side to side, trundle," from Old French troller, a hunting term, "wander, to go in quest of game without purpose," from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German trollen "to walk with short steps"), from Proto-Germanic *truzlanan.

Sense of "sing in a full, rolling voice" (first attested 1570s) and that of "fish with a moving line" (c.1600) are both extended technical applications of the general sense of "roll, trundle," the latter perhaps confused with trail or trawl. Figurative sense of "to draw on as with a moving bait, entice, allure" is from 1560s. Meaning "to cruise in search of sexual encounters" is recorded from 1967, originally in homosexual slang.

troll

"ugly dwarf or giant," 1610s, from Old Norse troll "giant, fiend, demon." Some speculate that it originally meant "creature that walks clumsily," and derives from Proto-Germanic *truzlan, from *truzlanan (see troll (v.)). But it seems to have been a general supernatural word, cf. Swedish trolla "to charm, bewitch;" Old Norse trolldomr "witchcraft."

The old sagas tell of the troll-bull, a supernatural being in the form of a bull, as well as boar-trolls. There were troll-maidens, troll-wives, and troll-women; the trollman, a magician or wizard, and the troll-drum, used in Lappish magic rites. The word was popularized in English by 19c. antiquarians, but it has been current in the Shetlands and Orkneys since Viking times. The first record of it is from a court document from the Shetlands, regarding a certain Catherine, who, among other things, was accused of "airt and pairt of witchcraft and sorcerie, in hanting and seeing the Trollis ryse out of the kyrk yeard of Hildiswick."

Originally conceived as a race of giants, they have suffered the same fate as the Celtic Danann and are now regarded in Denmark and Sweden as dwarfs and imps supposed to live in caves or under the ground.

troll

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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Origin of troll

troll

noun

Origin of troll

Examples from the Web for troll

troll

verb

noun

Word Origin for troll

noun

Word Origin for troll

troll

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