werewolf
Americannoun
-
werewolves
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of werewolf
before 1000; Middle English werwolf, Old English werwulf, equivalent to wer man (cognate with Gothic wair, Latin vir ) + wulf wolf; cognate with Middle Dutch weerwolf, Old High German werwolf
Explanation
In European folklore, a werewolf is a man who turns into a dangerous animal at night. According to legend, the transformation of a werewolf is triggered by a full moon. Stories of werewolves have existed for thousands of years, but belief in werewolves became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages. Today, these creatures are popular monsters that appear in books, movies, television, video games, and more. The were in werewolf comes from the Old English word wer, meaning "man."
Vocabulary lists containing werewolf
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.
See Examples For:
She was a registered nurse when they met; he was a few years off playing werewolf Jacob Black in the blockbuster franchise that brought a sparkly vampire-human love story to life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
Try clipping them to the cuff of your shoes to mimic werewolf legs.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2025
The dangers of even one of them being a werewolf are so obvious they need not be expounded upon.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 27, 2023
On the right is a snarling werewolf, labeled “Seattle in the news.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2023
Chacho could come on like a werewolf when he wanted to.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
AI is essential for the popular romantasy genre where fantastical elements, from medieval castles to werewolves and fairies are common.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
But the agency did discover that a network of UFO believers within the Defense Department had created a program that investigated accounts of interdimensional creatures and werewolves on a ranch in Utah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
Renowned as a queen of literary horror — her stories brim with ghosts, werewolves, zombie infants — here she reveals a realist side, journalistic yet intimate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
“An Earth with climate change and nuclear war and, like, zombies and werewolves is still a way better place than Mars.”
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2023
He hesitantly stepped off the edge of the lawn into the woods, half-expecting werewolves to leap out at him.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
