timber wolf

American  

noun

1. the gray wolf, Canis lupus, sometimes designated as the subspecies C. lupus occidentalis: formerly common in northern North America but now greatly reduced in number and rare in the conterminous U.S.

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timber wolf British  

noun

1. Also called: grey wolf.  a variety of the wolf, Canis lupus, having a grey brindled coat and occurring in forested northern regions, esp of North America

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Etymology

Origin of timber wolf

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does timber-wolf compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• timber wolf vs. gray wolf

Example Sentences

The timber wolf, the bison and the eland all experienced T. R.’s dead aim, although the giant polar bear rug in the otherwise feminine drawing room came courtesy of Robert Peary, the Arctic explorer.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2015

Back in the 1940s, according to a book by the former professor Bill Beezley, cheerleaders would bring a timber wolf named State to games.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2014

A timber wolf who was rolled out in a cage during games, Lobo II was so traumatized by the thousands of screaming fans that he had a nervous breakdown and never recovered.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2014

Deputy City Game Warden William Kuhn conjectured that the timber wolf prowling the Hudson County marshland had probably entered from Canada last December� in a carload of Christmas trees.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the night of the transaction, they leashed a stand-in timber wolf for Black Wing, first dyeing its left hind foot snow white, to look like Black Wing’s.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger