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.

---

lone wolf British  

noun

1. a person who prefers to be alone

---

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of lone wolf

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lone wolf

"They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too," the president said.

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

He said Mr Yang was not a "lone wolf" but one of thousands of individuals who had penetrated UK institutions.

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 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