sea wolf
Americannoun
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any of several large, voracious, marine fishes, as the wolffish or sea bass.
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a pirate.
Etymology
Origin of sea wolf
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The etymology is that it's a contraction of "sea wolf", which was what stalwart English peasants dubbed the Viking invaders.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2015
Through the dark Arctic night slipped a sleek, grey sea wolf, searching for the sheep of the sea.
From Time Magazine Archive
Among U.S. shippers, the Isbrandtsen Steamship Line is a lone sea wolf.
From Time Magazine Archive
My old sea wolf is not frightened of the sea, but I think he is a little frightened of his brother.
From The Red Redmaynes by Phillpotts, Eden
This seems to be a very admirable description of a sea wolf, O Knight of Rhodes!
From The Story of Magellan and The Discovery of the Philippines by Butterworth, Hezekiah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
