noun
orc
awk
noun
1
A mythical monstrous, humanoid creature — usually depicted as brutish, aggressive, and green-skinned — common in fantasy fiction.
"The heroes fought off a raiding party of orcs at the bridge."
"In the game, players can choose to play as an orc warrior."
2
A large, fierce sea creature, especially the killer whale.
"Old sailing accounts describe orcs attacking whaling boats."
How to Use Orc
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishIn fantasy stories and games, a rough, aggressive monster-race; in older usage, a name for a fierce whale.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "orca" — the whale name is now the standard spelling; "orc" today almost always means the fantasy creature.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
orcs plural, orcs plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “orc”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The heroes fought off a raiding party of _____ at the bridge.
Etymology
The sea-creature sense traces back through French and Italian to Latin orca ("a kind of whale") — the same root that gives us "orca." The fantasy-monster sense was popularized separately by J.R.R. Tolkien.