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

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

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

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2025

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

So yeah, I think now the current misconception is that he was a lone wolf acting alone.

From Salon • Aug. 28, 2024

He ran head down, low to the ground—in the manner of the lone wolf.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George