as in fairy
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

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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 gremlin The holiday tale doubles as a good entry into horror for youngsters, with a small town beset by freaky gremlins because teenagers can't follow simple instructions. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024 Yet in their original form gremlins are alive and well, living under new names—daemons, worms, virtual pets. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2024 With McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari introducing new updates almost every week, Red Bull has precious little time to address its gremlins. Dan Cancian, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 Or Starliner has gremlins, which could explain a lot. David Szondy, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for gremlin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gremlin
Noun
  • Featuring humans, elves, orcs and other fantastical creatures engaging in wars, treasure hunts and campaigns, the D&D game, one of Hasbro’s key franchise brands hailing from Wizards of the Coast, is overseen by a host, known as the Dungeon Master, and employs a signature multisided dice.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Prince on the Shelf A young Prince Harry dressed up as a red and green elf to take part in his school's nativity play.
    Stephanie Petit, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • This is your starting point, and where the brother from the story encountered the water goblin.
    Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
  • That often means providing upgrades of low level monsters rather than just throwing more goblins at a problem.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.
    Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
  • The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.
    Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gremlin. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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