gremlins

noun

plural of gremlin
as in fairies
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers during the World Wars, fighter pilots adopted the fanciful notion that gremlins were responsible for mechanical failures on their planes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gremlins Whatever electronic gremlins the first models came out with have long been sorted. — New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026 Rather, those little, unseen gremlins just proliferate in silence. — Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 24 June 2026 In recent weeks, social media users, especially on X, have been noticing increasing references to goblins, along with other fantasy creatures such as gremlins, ogres and trolls in ChatGPT’s answers to user queries. — Rob Wile, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026 Don’t let fear of your inner gremlins stop you from self-work to uplevel your life. — Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026 Don’t let fear of your inner gremlins stop you from self-work to level up your life. — Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026 Of course, chaos ensues when those rules are broken, unleashing a horde of mischievous, destructive gremlins on his small town. — Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 22 Dec. 2025 The notion of gremlins was first conceived during the 1920s when mechanical failures in Royal Air Force aircraft were jokingly blamed on the small monsters. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025 Other old-car issues, such as gremlins impacting the electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and exhaust systems, are ongoing considerations. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gremlins
  1. fairies
  2. elves
  3. goblins
Noun
  • Saturday, utilizes 56,000 square feet of indoor space to host more than 200 vendors, sword-fighting, costume contests, live musicians, mermaids, fairies and photo ops.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The countless repetitions give you the most beautiful art form where swans glide, fairies dance and every year a giant nutcracker appears.
    — Chrissie Leong, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of fairies
Noun
  • In this way, just like the elves, the aes sidhe were very clearly associated with the divine.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • For the dessert lover, this Advent calendar is filled with gourmet shortbread cookies and a decorative calendar showcasing the Walker’s shortbread elves inside.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of elves
Noun
  • From glittering ghosts, ghastly goblins and wicked witches to wily warlocks, fashion can inspire any Halloween transformation.
    — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Many would rather experience nightstalkers, goblins and witches that can't escape the theater or TV screen, or zombies and werewolves that won't lunge off the pages of a book.
    — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of goblins

Browse Nearby Words

gremlin
gremlins
grew
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gremlins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gremlins. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All