wolverine

[ wool-vuh-reen, wool-vuh-reen ]

/ ˌwʊl vəˈrin, ˈwʊl vəˌrin /

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noun

Also called carcajou. a stocky, carnivorous North American mammal, Gulo luscus, of the weasel family, having blackish, shaggy hair with white markings.

(initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of Michigan (the Wolverine State) (used as a nickname).

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Origin of wolverine

1565–75; alteration of earlier wolvering (with -ine² for -ing³), obscure derivative of wolf

Words nearby wolverine

Wolof, Wolseley, Wolsey, wolver, Wolverhampton, wolverine, Wolverine State, wolves, wolves in sheep's clothing, woman, woman about town

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use wolverine in a sentence

A big part of that effort is documenting where and when wolverines pass through.
Mount Rainier’s first wolverine mama in a century is a sign of the species’ comeback|Hannah Seo|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
“The last historic report of a wolverine in Mount Rainier National Park is from 1915, it was a trapping record from a park naturalist at the time,” Chestnut says.
Mount Rainier’s first wolverine mama in a century is a sign of the species’ comeback|Hannah Seo|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
So when park wildlife ecologist Tara Chestnut and her colleagues received numerous credible reports of wolverine sightings from hikers, they set out to install a camera in hopes of catching video proof.
Mount Rainier’s first wolverine mama in a century is a sign of the species’ comeback|Hannah Seo|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
The co-owner of Metropolis Collectables, Vincent has Wolverine mutton chops, a Tony Stark goatee, and Lex Luthor swagger.
The Holy Grail of Comic Books Hid in Plain Site at New York Comic Con|Sujay Kumar|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Hugh Jackman has been Wolverine in the movies and the flashy Boy From Oz on stage.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and More|Janice Kaplan|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most credible scientific data on wolverine behavior documents an absolute dependence on “persistent spring snow habitat.”
Who Will Save the Wolverine? Not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service|Doug Peacock|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“X-men Origins: Wolverine” featured a pharmaceutical plot twist so inane it was almost awesome.
Scandal’s Finale Featured One of the Most Preposterous TV Deaths Ever|Russell Saunders|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The line I keep saying is that nobody goes around saying, “Hey, Iron Man has a better sense of humor than Wolverine.”
The Makers of ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Heathers’ Discuss ‘Vampire Academy’ and Coming-of-Age Movies|Daniel Waters, Mark Waters|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At last he met a wolverine who told him that he had been there himself, and promised to set him on the way.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence
And then, when almost to the river, sitting up and looking out from a brush patch, he saw a wolverine coming straight toward him.
Blackfeet Tales of Glacier National Park|James Willard Schultz
As night approached an animal, judged to be the wolverine, was seen swimming across the stream.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
Sometimes he was the beautiful white rabbit; then he would be a wolf or a wolverine; then he would be a lovely bird.
Algonquin Indian Tales|Egerton R. Young
However, they had courage enough to ask the lightning to take off the fine coat of the wolverine but not to kill him.
Algonquin Indian Tales|Egerton R. Young

British Dictionary definitions for wolverine

wolverine

/ (ˈwʊlvəˌriːn) /

noun

a large musteline mammal, Gulo gulo, of northern forests of Eurasia and North America having dark very thick water-resistant furAlso called: glutton

Word Origin for wolverine

C16 wolvering, from wolf + -ing ³ (later altered to -ine)

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