: a cause of error or equipment malfunction (as in aircraft) conceived of as a small mischievous gnome
Synonyms
Examples of gremlin in a Sentence
during the World Wars, fighter pilots adopted the fanciful notion that gremlins were responsible for mechanical failures on their planes
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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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
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Dictionary Entries Near gremlin
Cite this Entry
“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gremlin. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gremlin
noun
grem·lin
ˈgrem-lən 
: a small mischievous or troublesome creature
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