SINCE 1828
dire wolf
nounDefinition of dire wolf
: a large extinct wolflike mammal (Canis dirus) known from Pleistocene deposits of North America
Examples of dire wolf in a Sentence
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Cats like the saber-tooth, lion, and cougar hunted in forests, while canine species like the dire wolves hunted bison and horses in open fields. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Fossilized teeth of Ice Age predators yield clues to why certain species survived," 6 Aug. 2019 But dire wolf aside, let’s not kid ourselves that Harington did a fraction of the dramatic heavy lifting required of Porter and Madden on their first-year shows. — Glenn Whipp, latimes.com, "Which 'Game of Thrones' actors deserve Emmy nominations for its final season?," 5 June 2019 Thousands of dire wolf skeletons have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, "A wolflike creature was stalking livestock in Montana. Authorities have no idea what it is.," 25 May 2018 Children's show offerings included Dire Guys (a cartoon featuring baby dire wolves) and Hodor's House (which seems a bit too soon). — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kit Harington Spoofs Game of Thrones Spinoffs on Saturday Night Live," 8 Apr. 2019 The Stark house symbol and loyal companions to the six Stark children, are based on the now-extinct dire wolves of the prehistoric era, but fans are looking to large dog breeds for their similar appearances as pets. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Game Of Thrones Wants You To Stop Buying "Direwolf" Dog Breeds," 16 Apr. 2019 Spoiler: King Joffrey eventually died after being poisoned, but not before killing Sansa's father and her dire wolf. — Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, "Sophie Turner Pretended Joffrey Was Justin Bieber in Game of Thrones, Season 1," 27 Mar. 2019 Thus the dearth of dire wolves, versus the proliferation of darling dachshunds. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "Why Are Some Animals Impossible To Domesticate?," 13 Mar. 2019 One wolf dog in particular seemed to bond with Cole in a way that's totally reminiscent of Jon Snow and his dire wolf Ghost. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Cole Sprouse Bonds with Wolf Dogs at a Sanctuary in Alberta, Canada," 16 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dire wolf.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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