troll

SayTROLUS/tɹɑl/UK/tɹɒl/

Pluraltrolls

Verbtrolls, trolling, trolled

31 meanings of troll

Practice

1
baiter (online)nouncountable
Someone who says or posts things, often online, to make people angry, for fun or to sway opinion.
A troll in the game chat kept insulting new players just to make them angry.
The forum banned three trolls who spent the whole week starting fights.
UsageDon't feed the trolls means do not answer them.
Similarprovocateur
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2
folklore monsternouncountable
A magical creature in old Scandinavian stories and fantasy, often big and ugly, living in caves, hills or under bridges.
In the story, a troll lived under the old bridge and stopped anyone who tried to cross.
The children built a cave out of blankets and pretended to hide from the trolls.
Note
3
verbcolloquialfigurativelytransitive or intransitive
To post things online to annoy people, start fights, or keep picking on someone.
Some people go online just to troll and see who gets upset.
A group of strangers trolled the cooking forum with posts about politics.
UsageSay trolling someone, trolling a forum, or just trolling.
Note
4
verbcolloquialtransitive
To play a joke on someone or tease them in a fun way.
Our teacher trolled the class on April Fools' Day with a fake test.
Don't be mad. He's just trying to troll you for a laugh.
Similarpunk
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5
trail a lureverbintransitive
To fish by pulling bait or a lure through the water, usually behind a slowly moving boat.
We trolled slowly along the shore in our little boat but caught only one fish.
My uncle likes to troll from his boat on summer evenings.
UsageTroll uses lines; trawl uses a net.
Note
6
verbtransitive
To look through things like websites, lists or records, often for a long time, hoping to find something good.
I troll the apartment listings every morning, hoping for a cheap place near work.
She trolled through boxes of old letters, looking for her grandmother's recipe.
Similartrawl, comb, scour, search
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7
patent bullynounderogatorycolloquialcountable
A company or person that owns rights to ideas or inventions and sues others over them, often without using them.
The tiny app company had to pay a patent troll, even though it never copied anything.
Some trolls buy the rights to old photos only so they can sue the websites that used them.
UsageOften patent troll.
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8
ugly personnounslangderogatorycountable
A person who is ugly or not nice to be around.
Our grumpy landlord is a real troll who never fixes anything.
With my hair like this, I look like a total troll.
Similaruggo, minger, munter, schlub
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9
nounfigurativelycountable
A post meant to make people angry and start an argument, first used to tease new users.
That post about pineapple pizza is just a troll, so don't answer it.
The old members of the group posted trolls to see which new users would get upset.
Similarragebait, flamebait, bait
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10
nouncountable
A round of fishing by pulling a line with bait or a lure through the water, sometimes behind a boat.
After lunch we went out in the boat for a slow troll around the bay.
The fishing report says an early troll near the dam is your best chance at salmon.
Note
11
lure inverbfigurativelytransitive
To attract or pull someone or something toward you, as if with bait.
He was trolling for compliments when he showed everyone his new haircut.
The shop gives out free samples to troll for new customers.
UsageOften troll for something: troll for compliments.
Similarlure, coax, entice, draw
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12
strollverbintransitive
To walk slowly and easily, without hurrying.
Similarstroll, amble, saunter, wander
Oppositehurry, rush
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13
seek sexverbslangintransitive
To walk around looking for a sex partner, usually a man looking for another man.
That street was once a place where men would troll, looking for other men.
Since he started using a dating app, he has stopped trolling around the bars for men.
UsageUse troll for to say who someone is seeking: troll for men.
Similarcruise, prowl
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Less common meanings

14
lower MichigannouncolloquialUScountable
A Michigan person who lives south of the Mackinac Bridge, not in the Upper Peninsula.
Every summer the trolls drive north across the bridge to visit the Upper Peninsula.
My cousin in Marquette jokes that I'm a troll because I live in Detroit.
Note
15
nouncountable
A fishing line, bait, or lure that is pulled through the water or behind a boat.
He tied a shiny troll to his line and let it sink behind the boat.
Dad keeps his favorite trolls in a small box with his hooks.
Similarlure
Note
16
roll aroundverbtransitive
To roll or spin around, or to make something roll.
Take trustie (to trust to) that thinkest to thee, / That trustily thriftines trowleth to thee.
1878, Thomas Tusser, “A Briefe Conclusion, where You may See, ech Word in the Verse, to Begin with a T”Here, trowleth means rolls or comes rolling.
She fancied these Elysian shades / The sweetest place for masquerades: / How pleasant on the banks of Styx, / To troll it in a coach and six!
1730, Jonathan Swift, “Death and Daphne. To an Agreeable Young Lady, but Extremely Lean.”Here, troll means roll along, riding in a coach.
Similarroll, trundle
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17
a cyclenouncountable
One trip around, or the same things done again and again.
Similarround, cycle, turn, revolution, rotation
18
round (song)nouncountable
A song sung in parts, with each part starting one after the other.
At the opening of every club night he is called in to sing his "Confession of Faith," which is the famous old drinking trowl from Gammer Gurton's needle.
1820, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Little Britain”Here, trowl means a song sung in parts, one after another.
And thence the catch and troll, while "laughter, holding both his sides" sheds tears to song and ballad pathetic on the woes of married life, and all the ills that "our flesh is heir to."
1845, [John] Wilson, The GeniusHere, troll means a song sung as a round, in parts.
Similarround, catch
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19
speak (not sing)verbtransitive
To say something quickly and lightly, or in a deep, loud voice.
But they [people from Pisa] speak well out, trolling the words clearly over the tongue.
1850, Leigh Hunt, “Lord Byron in Italy—Shelley—Pisa”Here, trolling means saying the words lightly and quickly.
Similardeclaim, boom
Note
20
sing in turnsverbarchaictransitive
To sing a song in a loud, happy, carefree way, or to sing parts of a round.
But hark! our merry-men so gay / Troll forth another roundelay.
1813, Walter Scott, RokebyHere, Troll means sing loudly and cheerfully.
For where could a handsome young scholar not be welcome when he could touch the lute and troll a gay song?
1862, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “A Man’s Ransom”Here, troll means sing freely and cheerfully.
Note
21
ring (bells)verbarchaicintransitive
Of bells, to ring a series of loud notes one after another.
Note
22
pass aroundverbobsoletetransitive
To pass something, usually a shared bowl or cup of drink, from one person to the next.
Come, trowl the brown bowl to me, / Bully boy, bully boy, / Come, trowl the brown bowl to me: / Ho! jolly Jenkin, I spy a knave in drinking, / Come, trowl the brown bowl to me.
1819, Walter Scott, IvanhoeHere, trowl means pass the bowl around from person to person.
Trowle the boll, the iolly Nut-browne boll, / And here kind mate to thee: / Let's ſing a dirge for Saint Hughes ſoule, / And downe it merrily.
1599, Thomas Dekker, “The Shomakers Holiday. Or The Gentle Craft.. The Second Three-mans Song.”Here, Trowle means pass the bowl around for everyone to drink.
Note
23
noun
A red flash of light that shoots up from a thunderstorm's top and seems to follow flashes called sprites.
24
verbobsolete
To send something flowing in, like water.
25
verbobsolete
To come flowing in, like water.
This little ape gets money by the sack-full, / It trolls upon her.
c. 1623, Thomas Middleton, William Rowley
26
verbobsolete
Of a shared drink, to be passed around.
Novv the cups trole about to vvet the goſſips vvhiſtles / It poures dovvne I faith, they neuer thinke of payment.
c. 1613, Thomas Middleton, A Chast Mayd in Cheape-side. A Pleasant Conceited Comedy
27
verbobsolete
To make your tongue dart about fast as you talk.
28
verbobsolete
To make small, quick movements, as a tongue does in fast talk.
Fill him but a boule, it will make his tongue troule, / For flowing speech flows from a [pot of good ale].
a. 1617 (date written), Francis Beaumont, “The Ex-ale-tation of Ale”
29
nounobsolete
A small wheel, like a fishing reel.
30
nounobsolete
A small cart on wheels you push.
31
nounobsolete
An old word for a prostitute.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of troll apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 2, 8, 14

From Old Norse trǫll, an evil supernatural being such as a monster, giant or witch. English took it in through Middle English and later from Scandinavian languages.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

English troll ultimately derives from Old Norse trǫll. en.wiktionary.org
Old Norse trǫll denoted an evil supernatural being, including a monster. en.wiktionary.org
The Old Norse term could also denote a giant or witch. en.wikipedia.org
English received the word through Middle English and through later Scandinavian borrowing. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1, 3–7, 9–13, 15–22

The verb comes from Middle English trollen, meaning to wander or roll about, and its older origin is not certain. The noun probably comes from the verb.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The verb derives from Middle English trollen, meaning to wander or roll, and its earlier origin is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
The noun under this etymology probably derives from the verb. en.wiktionary.org