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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lone wolf

"We feel like we're as safe as we can possibly be. But we can't control, you know, the lone wolf," Mullin told "Fox and Friends" on Thursday, hours before the nearly six-week tournament opened.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

"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

"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

Jepperd is introduced as a bit of a lone wolf whose emotional distance is at least in part due to his tragic past.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 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