troll
n. countablen. someone who leaves mean or annoying messages online to make people angry. They often post things they don't even believe just to start an argument.
n. a person who intentionally posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community to provoke emotional responses. Informal in register; often used to describe coordinated political or social harassment.
Don't reply to him; he is just a troll.
The moderator banned the user after realizing they were a troll trying to ruin the discussion.
Digital platforms struggle to distinguish between genuine dissent and the calculated provocations of a professional troll aiming to derail public discourse.
Partly: from Middle English trol (“demon (?); sorcerer (?)”) [and other forms], from Old Norse trǫll (“conjurer, mage; witch”), from Proto-Germanic truzlą (“supernatural being; demon, fiend; giant; monster”), probably from trudaną (“to step on; to tread”) + -ilą (suffix forming agent nouns); and * borrowed from Norwegian Bokmål troll, Swedish troll, or Danish trold, from Old Norse trǫll (see above). Doublet of droll and trow. Cognates * Danish fortrylle (“to bewitch”), trylle (“to conjure”) * Icelandic tröll * Middle High German trol, crewtrolle (“spook, wraith; ogre, monster”) * Norwegian fortrylle (“to bewitch”), trylle (“to conjure”) * Swedish trolla (“to conjure”)
The verb is derived from Middle English trollen (“to go about, wander; to move (something) to and fro, rock; to roll; to turn”) [and other forms], of uncertain origin; perhaps in part from Old French troller (“to run here and there; to walk aimlessly, ramble, stroll; (hunting) to wander about looking for game”) (modern French troller); further etymology uncertain, yet probably from or related to Middle High German trollen (“to stroll, walk with short strides”) (modern German trollen (“to move slowly, trundle; to push off, toddle off”)), ultimately from Proto-Germanic truzlōną (“to lumber”), which is probably related to trudaną (“to step on, tread”) (see further at etymology 1). Doublet of trull. Verb etymology 2 sense 4.2.2 (“to fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat”) is possibly influenced by trail and/or trawl. The noun is probably derived from the verb. Noun etymology 2 sense 4 (“person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument”) is possibly influenced by troll (etymology 1). Cognates * Middle Low German drullen (“to stroll”) (Low German trullen (“to troll”))
Often used as a modifier in compound nouns like 'troll farm' or 'troll account'.