dire wolf

noun

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

Examples of dire wolf in a Sentence

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Scientists have assembled a high-quality genome with 40-fold coverage, significantly higher than earlier projects (dire wolf genomes, in comparison, had 13-fold coverage), and completed comparative analysis using the roan antelope, the bluebuck's closest living relative. Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026 Since announcing its project to bring back the woolly mammoth in 2021, Colossal Biosciences has announced plans to de-extinct two birds, the dodo and the moa, the Australian thylacine or Tasmanian tiger and the dire wolf. Mike Snider, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026 Scientists Push Back Vincent Lynch, an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University at Buffalo, criticized the characterization of the dire wolf project. Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026 Vincent Lynch, an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University at Buffalo, criticized the characterization of the dire wolf project. Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dire wolf

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dire wolf was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Dire wolf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dire%20wolf. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

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