name · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/ˈɡɒb.lɪn/
rhymes with -ɒblɪn
homophone: goblin
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɡɒb.lɪn/
General-American:/ˈɡɑb.lɪn/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: GOBLin
CMU ARPABET:G AA1 B L IH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
Acronym of Gospel Oak to Barking Line, a railway line in north London.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Traditionally, a supernatural being of folklore, typically small and grotesque or misshapen, that commonly haunts dark places, often mischievous or malevolent; a type of evil elf, sprite, or demon.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
In later fantasy literature, an evil and grotesquely ugly humanoid, typically powerful and warlike, often associated with orcs and trolls.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A hoodoo.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Short for goblin shark
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
(folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hob, hobgoblin
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: evil spirit
History
Etymology
From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”), whence English puck.
Across languages
Translations
80 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Basque:
iratxo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Basque:
intxisu
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Breton:
korrigan
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Bulgarian:
го́блин
(góblin)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Bulgarian:
таласъ́м
(talasǎ́m)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Catalan:
follet
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Chinese Mandarin:
哥布林
(gēbùlín)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Chinese Mandarin:
妖怪
(yāoguài)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Cornish:
bocka
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Czech:
šotek
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Czech:
skřítek
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Czech:
skřet
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Danish:
nisse
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Danish:
trold
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Dutch:
aardmannetje
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Dutch:
kobold
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Esperanto:
koboldo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Estonian:
pahared
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Faroese:
vættur
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Finnish:
haltija
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Finnish:
peikko
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Finnish:
hiisi
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
French:
gobelin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
French:
lutin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
French:
farfadet
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
West-Frisian:
ierdmantsje
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Galician:
trasno
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Galician:
provizo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Galician:
xas
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Galician:
abelurio
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Galician:
abutardo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Galician:
papón
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Georgian:
გობლინი
(goblini)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
German:
Kobold
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Greek:
καλικάντζαρος
(kalikántzaros)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Greek:
ξωτικό
(xotikó)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Hawaiian:
ʻeʻepa pauʻaka
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Hungarian:
lidérc
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Hungarian:
kobold
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Icelandic:
svartálfur
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Indonesian:
hantu
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Irish:
púca
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Italian:
folletto
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Italian:
goblin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Japanese:
ゴブリン
(goburin)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Korean:
도깨비
(dokkaebi)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Korean:
고블린
(gobeullin)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Northern Kurdish:
cinok
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Northern Kurdish:
şeytanok
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Latin:
gobelinus
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Latin:
cobalus
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Malay:
afrit
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Māori:
taipo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Māori:
kākarepō
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Marathi:
गॉबलिन
(gŏblin)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Middle English:
pouke
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Norwegian:
nisse
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Ojibwe:
wiindigoo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Old English:
pūca
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Polish:
goblin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Portuguese:
duende
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Portuguese:
goblin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Portuguese:
gobrinho
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Portuguese:
gobelim
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Romanian:
iazmă
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Russian:
го́блин
(góblin)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Santali:
ᱵᱷᱩᱛ
(bhut)
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Scottish Gaelic:
bòcan
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Serbo-Croatian:
гоблин
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Serbo-Croatian:
goblin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Slovene:
škrat
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Spanish:
duende
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Spanish:
trasgo
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Swahili:
zimwi
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Swedish:
vätte
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Tagalog:
tianak
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Tagalog:
patianak
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Turkish:
goblin
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Welsh:
ellyll
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
Welsh:
ŵyll
— hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature
