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troll

TROHL /trəʊl/

nounverbB2

informal

(noun) A person who posts deliberately provocative messages on the internet to elicit an emotional response or disrupt a discussion. (verb) To post such messages.

The intent of a troll is usually to provoke, annoy, or upset others for their own amusement, rather than to engage in genuine discussion.

The story behind the word. The internet sense of 'troll' is thought to come from two possible origins. One is the fishing term 'trolling,' meaning to fish by dragging a baited line, implying luring people into arguments. The other is the mythical Scandinavian creature, the 'troll,' known for being ugly, mischievous, and sometimes dangerous. Both senses contribute to the image of an internet troll as someone who lurks and provokes for their own amusement, often causing trouble.

Word relationships

agitator: One who stirs up public opinion, often for a cause, not necessarily for amusement.
provocateur: One who provokes, often for political or social reasons.

peacemaker: One who tries to bring about peace.
conciliator: One who acts as a mediator to reconcile.

Commonly confused with

cyberbully: A troll's primary goal is often disruption/amusement; a cyberbully's is typically to repeatedly harm a specific individual.

Word family

trolling (noun): The act of posting provocative messages online.

Collocations

internet troll
online troll
feed the troll
troll account

Idioms & expressions

don't feed the troll

Example sentences

"The moderator banned the user who kept posting offensive comments, clearly acting as a troll." Discussing online forums.
"He spent hours online, trolling various political threads just to get a rise out of people." A conversation about internet behavior.

Memory hook

Imagine a mythical 'TROLL' hiding under a bridge, waiting to jump out and annoy people, just like an internet troll hides online to provoke. Provokes for fun

When not to use

Do not use for someone who simply disagrees or expresses a strong opinion respectfully. The key is the deliberate provocation and disruption.

Fun facts

The phrase 'Don't feed the trolls' is a common piece of advice in online communities, suggesting that ignoring trolls is the best way to disempower them.