werewolf
Americannoun
-
werewolves
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of werewolf
before 1000; Middle English werwolf, Old English werwulf, equivalent to wer man (cognate with Gothic wair, Latin vir ) + wulf wolf; cognate with Middle Dutch weerwolf, Old High German werwolf
Explanation
In European folklore, a werewolf is a man who turns into a dangerous animal at night. According to legend, the transformation of a werewolf is triggered by a full moon. Stories of werewolves have existed for thousands of years, but belief in werewolves became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages. Today, these creatures are popular monsters that appear in books, movies, television, video games, and more. The were in werewolf comes from the Old English word wer, meaning "man."
Vocabulary lists containing werewolf
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s not even one shot of the moon that I can remember, and our first werewolf sighting takes place after dawn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025
Because this is at the heart of the werewolf issue, let us take a moment to examine this phenomenon.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 27, 2023
On the right is a snarling werewolf, labeled “Seattle in the news.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2023
If you were a fan of “Teddy,” that other oddball French drama about a young werewolf, you’ll fall for this film’s charms.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
Now he changes the walk entirely, bouncing around me, circling like a werewolf who found a box of sugar.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
And it finished at prime time for werewolves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“I don’t want my kids to get the idea that they should be afraid of summer, but I also don’t want to have, like, cheesy surfing werewolves be a thing.”
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
AI is essential for the popular romantasy genre where fantastical elements, from medieval castles to werewolves and fairies are common.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Renowned as a queen of literary horror — her stories brim with ghosts, werewolves, zombie infants — here she reveals a realist side, journalistic yet intimate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
“But surely werewolves don’t kill, they just turn you into one of them?”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
