wolf

¹

[ woolf ]

noun

, plural wolves [w, oo, lvz].

1. any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, especially C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range.
2. the fur of any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, especially C. lupus.
3. any of various animals of different families that are similar to C. lupus, such as the thylacine.
4. Wolf, Astronomy. the constellation Lupus.
5. the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.
6. a cruelly rapacious person.
7. Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.
8. Music.
   1. the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, especially the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
   2. a chord or interval in which harsh discord appears when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
   3. (in bowed instruments) a discordant or false vibration in a string due to a defect in structure or adjustment of the instrument.

verb (used with object)

1. to devour voraciously (often followed by down ):

   He wolfed his food.

verb (used without object)

1. to hunt for wolves.

Wolf

²

[ vawlf ]

noun

1. Baron Christian von. Christian von Wolff.
2. Frie·drich Au·gust [free, -d, r, i, kh, , ou, -g, oo, st], 1759–1824, German classical scholar.
3. Hu·go [hoo, -goh], 1860–1903, Austrian composer.
4. a male given name.

Wolf

¹

/ vɔlf /

noun

1. WolfFriedrich August17591824MGermanHISTORY: classical scholar Friedrich August (ˈfriːdrɪç ˈauɡʊst). 1759–1824, German classical scholar, who suggested that the Homeric poems, esp the Iliad, are products of an oral tradition
2. WolfHugo18601903MAustrianMUSIC: composer Hugo (ˈhuːɡo). 1860–1903, Austrian composer, esp of songs, including the Italienisches Liederbuch and the Spanisches Liederbuch
3. See Howlin' Wolf
   wʊlf Howlin'. See Howlin' Wolf

wolf

²

/ wʊlf /

noun

1. See timber wolf
   a predatory canine mammal, Canis lupus, which hunts in packs and was formerly widespread in North America and Eurasia but is now less common See also timber wolf lupine
2. any of several similar and related canines, such as the red wolf and the coyote ( prairie wolf )
3. the fur of any such animal
4. See thylacine
   Tasmanian wolf
   Tasmanian wolf another name for the thylacine
5. a voracious, grabbing, or fiercely cruel person or thing
6. informal.
   a man who habitually tries to seduce women
7. informal.
   the destructive larva of any of various moths and beetles
8. Also calledwolf note music
   1. an unpleasant sound produced in some notes played on the violin, cello, etc, owing to resonant vibrations of the belly
   2. an out-of-tune effect produced on keyboard instruments accommodated esp to the system of mean-tone temperament See temperament
9. cry wolf
   cry wolf to give a false alarm
10. keep the wolf from the door
    keep the wolf from the door to ward off starvation or privation
11. lone wolf
    lone wolf a person or animal who prefers to be alone
12. throw to the wolves
    throw to the wolves to abandon or deliver to destruction
13. wolf in sheep's clothing
    wolf in sheep's clothing a malicious person in a harmless or benevolent disguise

verb

1. troften foll bydown to gulp (down)
2. intr to hunt wolves

Derived Forms

• ˈwolfˌlike, adjective
• ˈwolfish, adjective

Other Words From

• wolflike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wolf¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English wulf; cognate with German Wolf, Old Norse ulfr, Gothic wulfs, all from Germanic wulfaz; akin to Polish wilk, Czech vlk, Lithuanian vil̃kas, Sanskrit vṛka-, and Latin lupus, Greek lýkos

Word History and Origins

Origin of wolf¹

Old English wulf; related to Old High German wolf, Old Norse ulfr, Gothic wulfs, Latin lupus and vulpēs fox

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cry wolf, to give a false alarm:

   Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf ?

2. keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for:

   Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.

3. throw (someone or something) to the wolves / dogs, Informal. to place or leave in a bad situation with no assistance, especially in order to protect oneself:

   The coach threw his rookie players to the wolves following their embarrassing loss.

4. wolf in sheep's clothing, a person who conceals evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.

More idioms and phrases containing wolf

In addition to the idiom beginning with wolf , also see cry wolf ; keep the wolf from the door ; lone wolf .

Example Sentences

After Murphy sent the HTA around to top officials like Wolf and Cuccinelli, he was told shortly afterward that “further distribution of the HTA was prohibited” because of concerns those two men had.

From Vox

Wolf apparently looked to bar Murphy from future meetings on the subject, and the notification was completed without Murphy’s input.

From Vox

Cooling to near-death temperatures lets the hummingbirds save precious energy, allowing them to survive the cold night and gear up to feed the next day, Wolf says.

From Science News

Torpor had been observed before in hummingbirds, but Wolf and his colleagues wanted a more detailed picture.

From Science News

Competitive eaters scarf food at a rate that bests that of grizzly bears and coyotes, Smoliga finds, although wolves lead the pack.

From Science News For Students

It reminded me a bit of an alternative take on The Wolf of Wall Street—through the Toni and Candace lens.

From The Daily Beast

“During this trip, I did as a lone wolf, I risked a lot,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

His later books drew heavily from experiences and people he encountered at the bar, including the cruel captain in The Sea-Wolf.

From The Daily Beast

The Wolf of Wall Street is a dangerous, incendiary work of art.

From The Daily Beast

Wolf concurs that the conceit of the show seems to have everyone but the sex worker in mind.

From The Daily Beast

He heard Mohammedans alluding to a Brahmin as a leader—so might a wolf and a snake make common alliance against a watch dog.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a hard struggle; for the wolf pulled poor Amy one way, and Alan pulled her the other; but at length Alan won the day.

From Project Gutenberg

The affair of the wolf having passed off so well, Alan began to bethink himself of other adventures.

From Project Gutenberg

“He hath told us already, Princess,” said the other, his harsh accents sounding more like the snarl of a wolf than a human voice.

From Project Gutenberg

In all savage races it has been recognised and dreaded, this phenomenon styled 'Wehr Wolf,' but to-day it is rare.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• devour
• gobble
• gulp