dire wolf

American  

[dahyuhr woolf] / ˈdaɪər ˌwʊlf /

noun

1. an extinct canid species, Aenocyon dirus, with two recognized subspecies (A. dirus dirus andA. dirus guildayi ), living in the Americas and eastern Asia during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs: similar in size to the largest modern gray wolf (Canis lupus ), but with larger, more powerful teeth suited for preying upon large prehistoric herbivores, such as mastodons, bison, camels, and horses.

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Etymology

Origin of dire wolf

First recorded in 1910–15; translation of New Latin Canis dirus “dread dog,” species name coined by Joseph Leidy ( def. ) (1858); designation Aenocyon dirus (from Greek ainós, “terrible” + Greek cýon, “dog” [+ dirus ]) proposed (but not universally accepted) in 1918 to consolidate variously named species deemed separate from genus Canis ; 2021 DNA findings show the dire wolf to be highly distinct from extant wolflike canines and so the classification A. dirus is now accepted as appropriate

Example Sentences

Right now, the biggest showstopper is arguably a trophy-like wall festooned with 400 dire wolf skulls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

This is the same company that “brought back” the ice-age dire wolf with financial help from Game of Thrones author George R.R.

From Slate • Aug. 8, 2025

To that end, the dire wolf was bigger than the grey wolves that existed at the same time, with large, shearing teeth carrying an extremely strong bite force.

From Salon • May 15, 2025

The dire wolf genome likely differs from that of the gray wolf in millions or tens of millions of ways.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

But the company’s choice of the dire wolf as its first announced successful “de-extinction” seems almost preordained.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025