The Meaning of Troll: What It Is and How To Use It

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Today’s word of the day has several potential meanings. In this article, you will learn all about what the word troll means and how to use it.

What Does Troll Mean?

According to Dictionary, the word troll has several definitions. The first definition of troll refers to supernatural beings or supernatural creatures that are giants or dwarves in Scandinavian folklore. The pronunciation of troll is ​​troʊl.

Trolling is also a fishing term. In fishing, trolling means fishing with a moving line. When someone fishes by trolling, they work the fishing line up and down. The lure used when trolling is also called a troll. 

The word troll is often used as a slang term. Usually, you will hear people referred to as “internet trolls.” These people post inflammatory or inappropriate messages online on social media for the express purpose of upsetting others or to elicit a response. 

In this context, the word troll can be used as a noun to refer to the person trolling, or as a verb for the act of trolling.

What Is the Etymology of Troll?

The word troll entered the English language between 1350 and 1400. This term was originally the Middle English trollen. This word comes from the Danish trold, Middle High German trollen, Old Norse troll, and Old French troller.

How Can We Use Troll in a Sentence?

One of the best ways to practice new words like troll is to use them in sentences. Below, you will find a few different example sentences containing the word troll. 

Example #1

The bored teenage boy decided to troll a politician online because he had nothing better to do. 

Question: In the above sentence, is the word troll a noun or a verb? Is it a slang term or not?

Answer: The word troll is a verb and a slang term.

Example #2

The father and son went troll fishing behind a moving boat. They used their baited line and made several great catches that day. 

Question: In the above sentence, is the word troll a noun or a verb? Is it a slang term or not?

Answer: The word troll is a noun and not a slang term.

Example #3

The man was fired from his job when they found out about the instance of trolling an ugly person online. They did not want someone like him representing their company.

Question: In the above sentence, is the word troll a noun or a verb? Is it a slang term or not?

Answer: The word troll is a verb and a slang term.

Example #4

The newsgroups were attacked by online trolls who thought it was funny.

Question: In the above sentence, is the word troll a noun or a verb? Is it a slang term or not?

Answer: The word troll is a noun and a slang term.

Example #5

The young girl loved drawing pictures of all sorts of fairytale creatures, including witches, trolls, and more. Her art teacher encouraged her to pursue a degree in illustration.

Question: In the above sentence, is the word troll a noun or a verb? Is it a slang term or not?

Answer: The word troll is a noun and not a slang term.

What Are Translations of Troll?

Trolls come from Norwegian and Scandinavian folklore, so it makes sense that people around the world would have their own words for troll outside of American English. Below, you will find several translations of the word troll from Nice Translator

If you are just starting to learn a new language, it can be helpful to try reading children’s books in said language as practice. If you read children’s fairytales, you might come across the word troll!

  • Amharic: ትሮግ
  • Estonian: troll
  • Hebrew: גַמָד
  • Romanian: revenire
  • Swedish: troll
  • Turkish: trol
  • Arabic: القزم
  • Japanese: トロール
  • Korean: 트롤
  • Russian: тролль
  • Bulgarian: трол
  • Tamil: பூதம்
  • Malayalam: ഒറ്റപ്പെടുത്തുക
  • Finnish: peikko
  • Serbian: трол
  • Spanish: trol
  • Dutch: trol
  • Swahili: troll
  • Ukrainian: троль
  • Bengali: ট্রল
  • Indonesian: troll
  • Basque: korrospatu
  • Italian: troll
  • Filipino: troll
  • Greek: γίγας
  • Croatian: trola
  • Thai: โทรลล์
  • Portuguese (Brazil): provocador
  • Danish: Troll
  • Slovenian: trol
  • Welsh: trol
  • Marathi: ट्रोल
  • Lithuanian: trolis
  • Icelandic: tröll
  • Kannada: ರಾಕ್ಷಸ
  • Telugu: ట్రోల్
  • Malay: troll
  • French: troll
  • Portuguese (Portugal): provocador
  • Gujarati: નળી
  • Hindi: ट्रोल करना
  • Latvian: troļļi
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 巨魔
  • Vietnamese: chơi khăm
  • Chinese (PRC): 巨魔
  • Hungarian: manó
  • Urdu: ٹرول

What Are Synonyms of Troll?

Since the term troll has several definitions, it can be very useful to know synonyms of the word troll so people will not be confused. 

Below, Power Thesaurus provides several synonyms for different definitions of the word troll. If you are looking for a different word for troll, you can use one of the below words. 

How many of these words do you already know?

  • angle
  • bait
  • bait the hook
  • bogeyman
  • bowl
  • brownie
  • cast
  • chum
  • croon
  • cyber bully
  • demon
  • devilkin
  • dwarf
  • dwarfs
  • elf
  • evil spirit
  • fairy
  • fiend
  • fish
  • fishes
  • giant
  • gnome
  • go fishing
  • goblin
  • gremlin
  • haul out
  • hobgoblin
  • imp
  • leprechaun
  • minnow
  • monster
  • nixie
  • ogre
  • ogres
  • pixie
  • puck
  • round
  • rounds
  • seine
  • set rolling
  • sing
  • sprite
  • trawl
  • trawling
  • trolling
  • trundle
  • walk about

Conclusion

The word troll (trəʊl) has a few different definitions:

  1. The word troll is a fishing term that can be a noun or a verb.
  2. The word troll is a type of fictitious creature in Scandinavian folklore that can either be a giant or a dwarf.
  3. A troll is a slang term for a person who posts provocative messages online.

See if you can use one today!

Sources:

Troll synonyms – 463 Words and Phrases for Troll | Power Thesaurus 

Troll | Nice Translator 

Troll Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com