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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Colossal Biosciences, the company engineering extinct genomes back into existence and best known for bringing back the dire wolf in 2025, carries a valuation exceeding $10 billion. Ethan Stone, USA Today, 29 May 2026 Soon, the wolves were joined on their private 2,000-acre preserve by a third dire wolf, their cloned sister, Khaleesi. Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026 The pair set out to bring back the woolly mammoth, in addition to other extinct species, like the moa bird and the dire wolf. Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 19 May 2026 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 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 16 Jun. 2026.

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