Meaning & use
warlock
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Meanings
nouncountable
A man in folklore or fantasy who practices magic, usually of a dark kind.
Grammar: Countable: a warlock, warlocks.
Patterns
- a warlock of something
The warlock cast a spell from his tower.
Legends tell of a warlock who lived in the marsh.
The hero fought a powerful warlock.
nouncountableinformal
A character class in games who uses dark magic.
Grammar: Countable and used in game contexts.
Patterns
- play a warlock
She plays a warlock in the game.
The warlock summoned a demon.
My brother chose a warlock for his team.
Word forms
| plural | warlocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- evil warlock
- The evil warlock cursed the village.
- powerful warlock
- A powerful warlock guarded the book.
- warlock's spell
- The warlock's spell turned the knight to stone.
- witches and warlocks
- The story is full of witches and warlocks.
- cast by a warlock
- The curse was cast by a warlock.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wizard
- Wizard is more neutral or heroic, while warlock suggests dark magic.
- sorcerer
- Sorcerer implies magic learned from spirits, close to warlock but less sinister.
- witch
- Witch usually refers to women, and warlock is its male counterpart.
- magician
- Magician may mean a stage performer, which a warlock never is.
Word family
- witch noun
- a woman who practices magic
- witchcraft noun
- the practice of magic
- warlockry noun
- the art of a warlock, rare
- sorcery noun
- magic using evil spirits
Commonly confused: warlock or warlord?
warlock vs warlord
A warlord is a military leader, not a magician.
Practice
A warlock is most likely to appear in ___.
Choose one answer.
Warlocks are magic users from folklore and fantasy. The other options do not involve magic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “warlock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.