wolf

[ woolf ]

/ wʊlf /

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noun, plural wolves

[woolvz]. /wʊlvz/.

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.

the fur of any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, especially C. lupus.

any of various animals of different families that are similar to C. lupus, such as the thylacine.

Wolf, Astronomy. the constellation Lupus.

the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.

a cruelly rapacious person.

Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.

Music.

the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, especially the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
a chord or interval in which harsh discord appears when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
(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)

to devour voraciously (often followed by down): He wolfed his food.

verb (used without object)

to hunt for wolves.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about wolf

cry wolf, to give a false alarm: Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf?

keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for: Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.

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.

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

Origin of wolf

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

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

wolflike, adjective

Other definitions for wolf (2 of 2)

Wolf

[ vawlf ]

/ vɔlf /

noun

Baron Christian von. Christian von Wolff.

Frie·drich Au·gust

[free-drikh-ou-goost], /ˈfri drɪx ˈaʊ gʊst/, 1759–1824, German classical scholar.

Hu·go

[hoo-goh], /ˈhu goʊ/, 1860–1903, Austrian composer.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wolf in a sentence

In the lightly-edited conversation below, you’ll find Wolf’s specific tips for building connections between siloed channels, technologies and teams, as well as the reasons why this is so important today.
Building connections between siloed channels, technologies and teams|Sponsored Content: Integrate|November 11, 2020|Search Engine Land
Gray wolves were once abundant across the United States, but were nearly wiped out by overhunting in the 20th century.
All the ways the 2020 election has influenced science policy so far|Kate Baggaley|November 6, 2020|Popular-Science
The improved BERT performed better on all of them, which Wolf says is nothing to sneeze at.
This could lead to the next big breakthrough in common sense AI|Karen Hao|November 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review
It’s a historic year for many reasons, and—if you haven’t already—you can add the gray wolf to that list.
Gray wolves are leaving the endangered species list. But should they?|Ula Chrobak|November 5, 2020|Popular-Science

If it passes, it will be the first time voters anywhere in the country will have a say in wolf reintroduction.
How to Vote for the Environment This Year|Heather Hansman|October 27, 2020|Outside Online
He takes a violent dislike to the third Wolf, and would like to kill him, but he does not wish to injure the other two Wolfs.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
The fire died down and by the last flickering flame the lad saw Black Wolfs chin sinking sleepily to his chest.
Erskine Dale--Pioneer|John Fox
The old hag gives birth to many giant sons, and all in wolfs likeness.
The Younger Edda|Snorre
His shoulders were covered with a red shirt153 and a wolfs skin.
From Paris to Pekin over Siberian Snows|Victor Meignan
I bear the scars of the wolfs teeth yet; you came in the nick of time, that day.
By order of the company|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (1 of 2)

wolf

/ (wʊlf) /

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

a predatory canine mammal, Canis lupus, which hunts in packs and was formerly widespread in North America and Eurasia but is now less commonSee also timber wolf Related adjective: lupine

any of several similar and related canines, such as the red wolf and the coyote (prairie wolf)

the fur of any such animal

Tasmanian wolf another name for the thylacine

a voracious, grabbing, or fiercely cruel person or thing

informal a man who habitually tries to seduce women

informal the destructive larva of any of various moths and beetles

Also called: wolf note music

an unpleasant sound produced in some notes played on the violin, cello, etc, owing to resonant vibrations of the belly
an out-of-tune effect produced on keyboard instruments accommodated esp to the system of mean-tone temperamentSee temperament (def. 4)

cry wolf to give a false alarm

keep the wolf from the door to ward off starvation or privation

lone wolf a person or animal who prefers to be alone

throw to the wolves to abandon or deliver to destruction

wolf in sheep's clothing a malicious person in a harmless or benevolent disguise

verb

(tr often foll by down) to gulp (down)

(intr) to hunt wolves

Derived forms of wolf

wolfish, adjectivewolflike, adjective

Word Origin for wolf

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

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (2 of 2)

Wolf

/ (German vɔlf) /

noun

Friedrich August (ˈfriːdrɪç ˈauɡʊst). 1759–1824, German classical scholar, who suggested that the Homeric poems, esp the Iliad, are products of an oral tradition

Hugo (ˈhuːɡo). 1860–1903, Austrian composer, esp of songs, including the Italienisches Liederbuch and the Spanisches Liederbuch

(wʊlf) Howlin'. See Howlin' Wolf

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with wolf

wolf

In addition to the idiom beginning with wolf

wolf in sheep's clothing

also see:

cry wolf
keep the wolf from the door
lone wolf

wolf

Idioms about wolf

Origin of wolf

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

Other definitions for wolf (2 of 2)

Words related to wolf

How to use wolf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (1 of 2)

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with wolf