lone wolf

[lohn woolf]

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

noun

1. a person who prefers to be alone

Word History and Origins

Origin of lone wolf¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Woods was seen as a lone wolf in his pomp.

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Mr Rowe said he was questioned by police while in custody and it "felt like they'd gone out that day expecting to catch some kind of lone wolf attacker".

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"I spent much of my life as a lone wolf," she tells BBC News, "so hyper-independent that it became a defining trait."

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But territorial losses and the death of its leader did not end attacks carried out by its many offshoots, or by “lone wolves” embracing its ideology.

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

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