TROLL

What Does TROLL Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

A TROLL is a "Deliberately Disruptive Online Commentator."

More Detail...

An internet TROLL is a person who posts deliberately provocative messages online, in message forums or on social media, with the intention of provoking an emotive response from other users and disrupting a conversation. TROLLs typically post inflammatory or off-topic comments, which can range from light-hearted joking to serious bullying and harassment. TROLLS usually post anonymously. If a troll contributes anything meaningful to a discussion it is purely by accident and indicates a lack of TROLLING expertise. The term TROLL almost certainly comes from the mythical Scandinavian creatures of the same name, which are famed for being dumb, unfriendly and brutish.

Image for TROLL

When I write TROLL, I mean this:

Internet TROLLs are deliberately disruptive online commentators.

Summary of Key Points

"Deliberately Disruptive Online Commentator" is, by far, the most common meaning for TROLL when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

TROLL
Definition:	Deliberately Disruptive Online Commentator
Type:	Slang Word (Jargon)
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of TROLL in Sentences

Here are examples of TROLL in conversations:

• Leigh: Why is he saying such mean things?
• Ray: Take no notice. He's just a TROLL.

• Sam: Have you seen the comments from that TROLL?
• Harry: Yes! They're quite funny.

An Academic Look at TROLL

TROLL is typically used as both a noun (i.e., a naming word) and a verb (i.e., a doing word). For example:

• Ignore him. He is just being a TROLL.

(Here, TROLL is a noun.)

• She TROLLS him all the time.

(Here, TROLL is a verb.)

What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media?

Before the digital era, TROLLs would probably have been known as "stirrers," or even "bullies."

Example of TROLL Used in a Text

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