plural wolves
ˈwu̇lvz 
nonstandard ˈwu̇vz
often attributive
1
plural also wolf
a
: any of several large predatory canids (genus Canis) that are active mostly at night, live and hunt in packs, and resemble the related dogs
especially
: gray wolf
Note: Wolves have long been viewed as threats to livestock and people resulting in significant worldwide declines in their numbers and range size due to persistent eradication efforts (as by hunting, trapping, and poisoning).
b
: the fur of a wolf
2
a(1)
: a fierce, rapacious, or destructive person
(2)
: a man forward, direct, and zealous in amatory attentions to women
b
: dire poverty : starvation
keep the wolf from the door
c
: the maggot of a warble fly
3
[German; from the howling sound]
a(1)
: dissonance in some chords on organs, pianos, or other instruments with fixed tones tuned by unequal temperament
(2)
: an instance of such dissonance
b
: a harshness due to faulty vibration in various tones in a bowed instrument
Synonyms
Examples of wolf in a Sentence
Noun
no sooner had the lottery winner's name been made public than the wolves with their investment schemes showed up on her doorstep
Verb
don't wolf your food or you'll be sick
Recent Examples on the Web
Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2024
Colorado plans to release up to 50 wolves Colorado's controversial plan has received widespread opposition from farmers and ranchers, who consider wolves a dangerous threat to wildlife and livestock.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Lawsuits, questions about how to manage urban and suburban coyote populations are now part of the debate over the animal, a member of the dog family, like wolves and foxes.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
These groups argued that new legislation establishing a year-round wolf trapping season on private land and allowing for the unlimited purchase of wolf tags statewide violated the ESA by jeopardizing Idaho’s grizzly populations.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2024
In Colorado, 10 wolves were released in December at undisclosed locations in the Rocky Mountains.
—Jesse Bedayn, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
For years, wolves nationwide have been the subject of litigation.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have had a rough road trying to become top dogs—er, wolves—in the NBA this week.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
By limiting wolves to the experimental area, ranchers can legally haze or kill wolves to protect their cattle.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024
Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
My old friend Milo Machado-Graner is wolfing down an In-N-Out burger under a heat lamp.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Contestants wolfed down a huge pile of pork using their bare hands.
—Patricia Mazzei Jason Andrew, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
Conwell whipped up cream puffs and pastry cream from Betty Crocker’s classic cookbook, worked as a buser and server at the local country club and eventually was recruited to make the famous cinnamon-and-cheese rolls that club members wolfed down.
—Kimberly Winter Stern, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024
Inside the luxury van, wolfing down a salad, is the neatly coiffed 38-year-old entrepreneur Sam Altman, cofounder of OpenAI; a PR person; a security specialist; and me.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
Otway rushed to a baker’s shop, purchased a roll and promptly choked to death while wolfing it down.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2023
Still, the burgers were an improvement from July 4, 1850, when Zachary Taylor wolfed down apparently spoiled cherries and milk (and died five days later ).
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 July 2023
Merlin is the sort of dog Archie just can’t understand: a dog that doesn’t wolf down his food the minute it’s placed in front of him.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 4 June 2023
Noun
Her photos also show one of the wolves that originally attacked the calf before the black bears showed up to finish it off.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2024
Colorado plans to release up to 50 wolves Colorado's controversial plan has received widespread opposition from farmers and ranchers, who consider wolves a dangerous threat to wildlife and livestock.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Lawsuits, questions about how to manage urban and suburban coyote populations are now part of the debate over the animal, a member of the dog family, like wolves and foxes.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
These groups argued that new legislation establishing a year-round wolf trapping season on private land and allowing for the unlimited purchase of wolf tags statewide violated the ESA by jeopardizing Idaho’s grizzly populations.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2024
In Colorado, 10 wolves were released in December at undisclosed locations in the Rocky Mountains.
—Jesse Bedayn, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
For years, wolves nationwide have been the subject of litigation.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have had a rough road trying to become top dogs—er, wolves—in the NBA this week.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
By limiting wolves to the experimental area, ranchers can legally haze or kill wolves to protect their cattle.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
His father, having wolfed down two chicken paillards, paused and began asking Caro questions.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
My old friend Milo Machado-Graner is wolfing down an In-N-Out burger under a heat lamp.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Contestants wolfed down a huge pile of pork using their bare hands.
—Patricia Mazzei Jason Andrew, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
Conwell whipped up cream puffs and pastry cream from Betty Crocker’s classic cookbook, worked as a buser and server at the local country club and eventually was recruited to make the famous cinnamon-and-cheese rolls that club members wolfed down.
—Kimberly Winter Stern, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024
Inside the luxury van, wolfing down a salad, is the neatly coiffed 38-year-old entrepreneur Sam Altman, cofounder of OpenAI; a PR person; a security specialist; and me.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
Otway rushed to a baker’s shop, purchased a roll and promptly choked to death while wolfing it down.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2023
Still, the burgers were an improvement from July 4, 1850, when Zachary Taylor wolfed down apparently spoiled cherries and milk (and died five days later ).
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 July 2023
Merlin is the sort of dog Archie just can’t understand: a dog that doesn’t wolf down his food the minute it’s placed in front of him.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 4 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wolf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wolf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wolf. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wolf
1 of 2 noun
plural wolves
ˈwu̇lvz
1
2
: a person who resembles a wolf in fierceness
wolfish
adjective
ˈwu̇l-fish
wolf
2 of 2 verb
: to eat greedily
wolfed down the pizza
Biographical Definition
Wolf
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Hugo Philipp Jakob 1860–1903 Austrian composer
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