troll

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Religion

n. a large, ugly, and sometimes scary creature from old Scandinavian stories that often lives in caves or under bridges.

n. a supernatural being from Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore, typically depicted as grotesque, dim-witted, and occasionally giant.

“In the fairy tale, a grumpy troll lived under the bridge and asked travelers for money.”

“The fantasy novel reimagines the traditional mountain troll as a sophisticated, stone-skinned guardian of the ancient peaks.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Computing Informal

v. to post something online specifically to start a fight or upset someone.

v. to engage in the act of posting inflammatory or insincere content online for the purpose of baiting others into a conflict.

“She realized the stranger was just trolling her and decided to ignore the messages.”

“The account was suspended for systematically trolling high-profile journalists with coordinated waves of misinformation.”

C1 · Advanced Fishing Technical

v. to fish by pulling a line with bait behind a slowly moving boat.

v. to fish by trailing a baited line or lure behind a vessel in motion. Often confused with 'trawl', which involves a net.

“We spent the afternoon trolling for trout in the middle of the lake.”

“The fishermen spent the dawn hours trolling the coastal waters, hoping to catch kingfish before the sun rose too high.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Law Informal · Technical

n. a company that buys legal rights to an idea just to sue other people for money.

n. an individual or company that enforces intellectual property rights aggressively for the sole purpose of collecting licensing fees or settlements.

“The small startup was sued by a patent troll over a very basic software feature.”

“Legislative efforts have increased in recent years to curb the predatory practices of copyright trolls who target individual internet users.”