any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, especially C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range.
the fur of any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, especially C. lupus.
any of various animals of different families that are similar to C. lupus, such as the thylacine.
Astronomy. Wolf, the constellation Lupus.
the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.
a cruelly rapacious person.
Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.
Music.
the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, especially the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
a chord or interval in which harsh discord appears when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
(in bowed instruments) a discordant or false vibration in a string due to a defect in structure or adjustment of the instrument.
wolf in sheep's clothing, a person who conceals evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.
keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for.
Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.
throw (someone or something) to the wolves / dogs, to place or leave in a bad situation with no assistance, especially in order to protect oneself.
The coach threw his rookie players to the wolves following their embarrassing loss.
cry wolf, to give a false alarm.
Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf ?
Baron Christian von. Christian von Wolff.
Friedrich August 1759–1824, German classical scholar.
Hugo 1860–1903, Austrian composer.
a male given name.
a predatory canine mammal, Canis lupus, which hunts in packs and was formerly widespread in North America and Eurasia but is now less common See also timber wolf
any of several similar and related canines, such as the red wolf and the coyote ( prairie wolf )
the fur of any such animal
another name for the thylacine
a voracious, grabbing, or fiercely cruel person or thing
informal a man who habitually tries to seduce women
informal the destructive larva of any of various moths and beetles
Also called: wolf note. music
an unpleasant sound produced in some notes played on the violin, cello, etc, owing to resonant vibrations of the belly
an out-of-tune effect produced on keyboard instruments accommodated esp to the system of mean-tone temperament See temperament
to give a false alarm
to ward off starvation or privation
a person or animal who prefers to be alone
to abandon or deliver to destruction
a malicious person in a harmless or benevolent disguise
to gulp (down)
(intr) to hunt wolves
Friedrich August (ˈfriːdrɪç ˈauɡʊst). 1759–1824, German classical scholar, who suggested that the Homeric poems, esp the Iliad, are products of an oral tradition
Hugo (ˈhuːɡo). 1860–1903, Austrian composer, esp of songs, including the Italienisches Liederbuch and the Spanisches Liederbuch
Howlin'. See Howlin' Wolf
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English wulf; cognate with German Wolf, Old Norse ulfr, Gothic wulfs, all from Germanic wulfaz; akin to Polish wilk, Czech vlk, Lithuanian vil̃kas, Sanskrit vṛka-, and Latin lupus, Greek lýkos
A wolf is a larger, wilder relative of your pet dog. Like your cocker spaniel, a wolf is a canine. Unlike your cocker spaniel, a wolf isn't nice to cuddle with during a thunderstorm. You can find wolves in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America, although there are significantly fewer of them today than there once were. Conservation measures have steadied the wolf population in remote and rural areas since the 1970s, however, so they're no longer considered endangered. Wolves rarely attack humans, unless they're sick with rabies. As a verb, to wolf means to eat very fast — in other words, to eat as voraciously as a wolf.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His principal legislative interest has been to delist the gray wolf as a federal endangered species.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
Nobody has an answer – not Lady Eboshi, certainly not San’s wolf mother or a monk who turns out not to be a monk at all.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The new wolf arrivals join a growing collection of apex predators at the park now available for public viewing.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
In fact, the domestication of wolf to dog dovetailed into the emerging social structures of humankind, a coevolution documented in ancient petroglyphs of hunting from around 9000 B.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Slop pushed down the wolf head so its teeth were hanging over his eyes.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Meow Wolf is getting closer to unveiling its Los Angeles locale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
It was about the possibility that West Hills brothers Jim and Randy Wolf, both in the minor leagues at the time, could one day be together in the big leagues as umpire and pitcher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Wolf Pen was set up to ensure that family members voted their shares in unison.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
After a more than 16-year run, executive partner Barry Wolf will retire next year and Boston partner Ramona Nee will succeed him as the firm’s leader.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
He rubbed it between his palms to mask her scent with his, then offered it to Wolf, who gulped it down.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
As Toronto Star columnist Liz Renzetti put it recently, “We are wolves in beavers’ clothing.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Save the wolves, shoot the wolves—none of our business.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
The lakes region Mr. Hoffman describes as “magnetic and mercurial” is home to bears, wolves, badgers, otters and a surprising variety of other creatures, yet their ways of life are being threatened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Rather than humans simply taking control of wolves, Mitchell argues that people and wolves may initially have entered the relationship as relatively equal participants.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
“The wolves have been our protectors while we were in their native habitat,” she thought, “but if they are seen in ours, it will not be so easy for us to protect them.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Costa conveys nearly everything he needs to simply through his arrangement of the actors’ bodies: The man hungrily wolfs down his food in the foreground, chattering about Joaquim’s kindness and decency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2020
Alleged assailants in both cases have been painted as lone wolfs acting out of mental instability and disagreement with the politicians’ messages.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2018
Even the highest-ranking executive shamelessly wolfs down a taco.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 20, 2015
He's a boy and wolfs his food down.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2015
Here I’d helped save Cooter’s ear, and the first chance he got to throw me to the wolfs he did it!
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
As a teenager, I wolfed down tomes such as “Salem’s Lot,” “The Green Mile,” “Firestarter” and “Carrie.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2023
On January 2, I wolfed down a breakfast of dehydrated porridge with Christian Wild, a postdoctoral scholar who works with Pettit.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 18, 2022
Just before 1 p.m., the pair wolfed down half-smokes before they shot over to Langston.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2022
Here are five comfort-inspired dishes I’ve wolfed down happily in recent weeks that have warmed me up during these shivery days.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2020
She wolfed down the hot dog and the popcorn, gulped the Coca-Cola, and gasped and laughed with delight at the characters on the screen.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
I saw something about Messi wolfing on a brisket sandwich at a Buc-ee’s but without video proof, I suspect that may have been an AI hallucination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
I stopped several times for roadside fruit at different points around the city, wolfing down chili-spiked mango, drenched in lime juice, from behind the wheel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
He was Joey Chestnut wolfing down hot dogs, but without the prize at the end.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2023
This, of course, was why I was unable to tear myself away from the deck, wolfing down meals and sleeping as little as possible.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2021
I always went, and wound up wolfing down Paul’s famous burgers—but now I saw that face, Paul’s, burning, a bloodred mask of rage.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
