lone wolf

[ lohn woo lf ]

/ ˈloʊn ˈwʊlf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lone wolf ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who prefers to live, act, or work alone or independent of others.

a criminal who acts alone (often used attributively): lone-wolf terrorists.

Nearby words

londrina, lone, lone hand, lone pair, lone star state, lone wolf, lonely, lonely hearts, lonely-hearts, loner, lonesome

Origin of lone wolf

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lone wolf

And his lone-wolf status may never be more apparent than at the bottom of his legal notice to Ferguson Mayor James Knowles.
The Black Panther Bomb Plot in St. Louis That Wasn’t|Justin Glawe|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The succession is now disputed by piata, the nephew of the first Lone-wolf.
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))|James Mooney
Lone-wolf and his Kiowa were on the ground and at once opened fire on the troops.
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))|James Mooney
Lone-wolf's son was wounded in the knee a year ago last summer while raiding in Texas, and came near losing his life.
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))|James Mooney

I never was much on this lone-wolf dodgin', though I've done it of necessity.
The Lone Star Ranger|Zane Grey
It is a pity the untamable, lone-wolf souls should always become pariahs, almost of choice: mere scamps.
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for lone wolf

lone wolf

noun

a person who prefers to be alone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with lone wolf

lone wolf

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]