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• warlock
  warlock

  noun

  a man who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a male witch; sorcerer.
• Warlock
  Warlock

  noun

  Peter, real name Philip Arnold Heseltine. 1894–1930, British composer and scholar of early English music. His works include song cycles, such as The Curlew (1920–22), and the Capriol Suite (1926) for strings

warlock

American  

[wawr-lok] / ˈwɔrˌlɒk /

noun

• warlocks
  plural

1. a man who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a male witch; sorcerer.

2. a fortuneteller or conjurer.

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warlock ¹ British  

/ ˈwɔːˌlɒk /

noun

1. a man who practises black magic; sorcerer

2. a fortune-teller, conjuror, or magician

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Warlock ² British  

/ ˈwɔːˌlɒk /

noun

1. Peter, real name Philip Arnold Heseltine. 1894–1930, British composer and scholar of early English music. His works include song cycles, such as The Curlew (1920–22), and the Capriol Suite (1926) for strings

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• warlocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of warlock

before 900; Middle English warloghe, -lach, Old English wǣrloga oathbreaker, devil, equivalent to wǣr covenant + -loga betrayer (derivative of lēogan to lie)

Compare meaning

How does warlock compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• warlock vs. sorcerer

Explanation

A warlock is the male equivalent of a witch or sorcerer. Your favorite fantasy novel might feature a wicked warlock who uses magic to take control of a peaceful kingdom. In fairy tales, myths, and other stories, there are many types of fanciful creatures and monsters, such as unicorns, goblins, and vampires. Another is the warlock, which is usually a male witch. Just as a witch uses magic — witchcraft — so does a warlock. This word most commonly has a negative connotation — that is, in literature, television, and film, a warlock is usually a villainous character (unlike, say, a wizard).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

warlock Warlock warlocks

As well as playing warlock Ambrose Spellman in the Netflix drama, Perdomo starred as Andre Anderson in Amazon Prime's superhero series Gen V.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2024

Alan Moore introduced the warlock detective in a 1985 issue of "The Swamp Thing," but he showed up in Gaiman's universe within the first couple of issues.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2022

Kountz played Marnie’s nemesis, Kal, the son of the defeated warlock Kalabar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2022

Instead, they got a destroyer, an infuriator, a little warlock constantly testing his powers.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2022

The pale man with the blue lips replied in guttural Dothraki, "I am Pyat Pree, the great warlock."

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

He also starred as the son of Satan in the 1989 supernatural thriller "Warlock" and its sequel "Warlock: The Armageddon."

From Reuters ● Jan. 19, 2023

Mr. O’Neill and Mr. Mills would go on to create the popular series Nemesis the Warlock, about a fire-breathing alien demon — the hero — in battle against a fanatically religious human dictator.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2022

Its stable of titles includes Judge Dredd and Nemesis the Warlock, which O’Neill created with Mills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2022

“I wouldn’t recommend anyone do what I did,” Will Poulter said about training for his role as the genetically altered superhuman Adam Warlock in the forthcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2022

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

Warlocks can deploy healing turrets with their glaive, which will complement the healing aspects of the solar and void subclasses for warlocks.

From The Verge ● Feb. 28, 2022

The fantasy game sees players devise characters such as elves, wizards and warlocks through role play.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2021

This gives rise to certain expectations of inserting meaning and profundity within stories about slimy monsters, warlocks and demons.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2020

When Lewis accidentally awakens the dead, the town’s sleepy facade magically springs to life with a secret world of witches and warlocks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2019

"I had that dream, and Rickon did too. And there are mages and warlocks in the east . . ." "There are men who call themselves mages and warlocks," Maester Luwin said.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin