: a cause of error or equipment malfunction (as in aircraft) conceived of as a small mischievous gnome
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
Some gremlins can be unraveled with linear problem-solving, a prowess possessed by AI.
—
Chip Bell, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
In the surreal clip, North, 11, and Chicago, 6, take the wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck, speeding past furry gremlin-like beasts that evoke the hot rod monster art of Stanley Mouse.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2024
Who knows what gremlins will crop up?
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
Senior vehicle operations manager Cliff Lanham with NASA ground systems said the teams have addressed all the gremlins that popped up in the months before the launch of Artemis I, including leaks in the propellant lines that flowed into the rocket.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gremlin
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Chip Bell, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
In the surreal clip, North, 11, and Chicago, 6, take the wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck, speeding past furry gremlin-like beasts that evoke the hot rod monster art of Stanley Mouse.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2024
Who knows what gremlins will crop up?
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
Senior vehicle operations manager Cliff Lanham with NASA ground systems said the teams have addressed all the gremlins that popped up in the months before the launch of Artemis I, including leaks in the propellant lines that flowed into the rocket.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gremlin
Cite this Entry
“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gremlin. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gremlin
noun
grem·lin
ˈgrem-lən 
: a small mischievous or troublesome creature
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