Word
gremlin
Phoneticsgrem·lin, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɡɹɛmɫən/
UK/ɡɹˈɛmlɪn/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a small imaginary creature that loves to cause trouble with machines. You use it when something stops working for no clear reason.
n. a small mischievous imaginary creature blamed for unexplained mechanical failures or malfunctions. Extended by metaphor to any elusive technical fault that appears and disappears without clear cause.
Examples
“A gremlin in the printer stops my papers.”
“The mechanic joked that a gremlin hides in the engine because the car stalls only on cold mornings.”
“After the third unexplained shutdown, the engineers blamed a gremlin in the software that vanished whenever they tried to trace the error.”
Examples
simple
“A gremlin in the printer stops my papers.”
contextual
“The mechanic joked that a gremlin hides in the engine because the car stalls only on cold mornings.”
complex
“After the third unexplained shutdown, the engineers blamed a gremlin in the software that vanished whenever they tried to trace the error.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “gremlin” in context.
Verb
01. battle gremlin
“IT staff spent all morning battling gremlins in the network.”
verb + noun
02. blame gremlin
“We blamed a gremlin when the projector suddenly stopped.”
verb + noun
03. feed gremlin
“Never feed a gremlin after midnight, or it will turn evil.”
verb + noun
04. gremlin disrupts
“A gremlin disrupted the sound system during the live show.”
noun + verb
05. gremlin lurks
“There is always a gremlin lurking in our old office printer.”
noun + verb
06. gremlin strikes
“Just before my talk, a gremlin struck and the screen went black.”
noun + verb
Adjective
07. electrical gremlin
“The mechanic blamed an electrical gremlin for the flashing lights.”
adj + noun
Noun
08. computer gremlin
“A computer gremlin wiped out my unsaved document.”
noun + noun
09. a gremlin in the machine
“It is like a gremlin in the machine cuts the engine randomly.”
10. blame it on gremlins
“When the lights flickered, we joked and blamed it on gremlins.”
11. don't feed the gremlins
“Don't feed the gremlins - keep food and drink away from the keyboard.”
12. gremlins in the system
“There must be gremlins in the system; the data keeps vanishing.”
Etymology
Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * A variant of goblin. * From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”), but according to the Oxford English Dictionary there is little evidence for such derivations. The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by the British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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