gremlin

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈgrɛmlɪn/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈgrɛmlɪn/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(grem′lin)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
grem•lin /ˈgrɛmlɪn/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Mythologyan imaginary, mischievous being humorously accused of causing mechanical failures in aircraft or problems or disruptions in any activity.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
grem•lin  (grem′lin),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Mythologya mischievous invisible being, said by airplane pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties.
  2. any cause of trouble, difficulties, etc.
  • 1925–30; of obscure orig; in its earliest attested use, an RAF term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man assigned the most onerous duties; later development perh. affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged . See goblin. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
gremlin / ˈɡrɛmlɪn/
  1. an imaginary imp jokingly said to be responsible for malfunctions in machinery
  2. any mischievous troublemaker
Etymology: 20th Century: perhaps a corruption of goblin
'gremlin' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
goblin
Synonyms: imp, demon, more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "gremlin" in the title:


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