lone wolf

American  

[lohn woolf] / ˈloʊn ˈwʊlf /

noun

1. a person who prefers to live, act, or work alone or independent of others.

2. a criminal who acts alone (often used attributively).

   lone-wolf terrorists.

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lone wolf British  

noun

1. a person who prefers to be alone

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lone wolf Idioms  

1. A person who prefers to do without the company or assistance of others. For example, Her nursery school teacher described Beth as a lone wolf, an assessment her parents found astonishing. This expression alludes to the tendency of some species of wolf to hunt alone rather than in packs. [c. 1900]

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Etymology

Origin of lone wolf

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lone wolf

"My impression is he was a lone wolf," Trump said, adding that the suspect's motivation was not yet clear but he believed the gunman was "sick."

From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026

Trump later told reporters that a gunman he described as a "lone wolf" and a "whack job" had charged through security screening just outside the ballroom.

From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026

"Taking all of these acts of violence and just saying… it's a private grievance or it's a lone wolf or it's someone who's mentally ill is ignoring the problem," Dr Shannon Zimmerman told the BBC.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024

"Then about the age of 13, we implicitly and explicitly tell a lot of young men that's not cool. You should be a lone wolf, should be able to stand in your own."

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2023

He ran head down, low to the ground—in the manner of the lone wolf.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

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