dire wolf

noun

: a large extinct wolflike mammal (Aenocyon dirus) known from Pleistocene deposits of North America

Examples of dire wolf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Colossal researchers first harvested cells from a living gray wolf and made 20 edits to 14 genes, coding for the dire wolf’s white coat, larger size, more powerful jaws, cold weather metabolism, and more. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Oct. 2026

But what is underway at Colossal, besides the dire wolf and woolly mammoth projects, is work to genetically engineer the dodo bird, the Tasmanian tiger, and a giant bird called a moa, among others. — Colleen McKown, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

But its dire wolf announcement, in which only a tiny handful of genetic changes were edited in to grey wolves, have raised some questions about its seriousness regarding these efforts. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026

The company became famous for efforts to revive extinct species such as the woolly mammoth and dire wolf. — Dasha Shunina, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dire wolf

• beowulf
• werewolf