wild

adjective

\ ˈwī(-ə)ld

Definition of wild

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated wild ducks

b(1) : growing or produced without human aid or care wild honey

(2) : related to or resembling a corresponding cultivated or domesticated organism

c : of or relating to wild organisms the wild state

2a : not inhabited or cultivated wild land

b : not amenable to human habitation or cultivation also : desolate

3a(1) : not subject to restraint or regulation : uncontrolled also : unruly

(2) : emotionally overcome wild with grief also : passionately eager or enthusiastic was wild to own a toy train — J. C. Furnas

b : marked by turbulent agitation : stormy a wild night

c : going beyond normal or conventional bounds : fantastic wild ideas also : sensational

d : indicative of strong passion, desire, or emotion a wild gleam of delight in his eyes — Irish Digest

4 : uncivilized, barbaric

5 : characteristic of, appropriate to, or expressive of wilderness, wildlife, or a simple or uncivilized society

6a : deviating from the intended or expected course wild spelling— C. W. Cunnington the throw was wild also : tending to throw inaccurately a wild pitcher

b : having no basis in known or surmised fact a wild guess

7 of a playing card : able to represent any card designated by the holder

wild

noun

Definition of wild (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a sparsely inhabited or uncultivated region or tract : wilderness

2 : a wild, free, or natural state or existence

wild

adverb

Definition of wild (Entry 3 of 3)

: in a wild manner: such as

a : without regulation or control plants that grow wild

b : off an intended or expected course

Other Words from wild Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wild

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Examples of wild in a Sentence

Adjective

wild places high in the mountains I felt a wild rage. He was wild with anger. The crowd went wild when the band took the stage.

Noun

They hiked through the wilds of Maine. The plants were collected from the wild. They will return the animal to the wild when it is healthy. Could these animals survive in the wild? I've only seen that animal in a zoo, never in the wild.

Adverb

These plants grow wild on the roadside. as soon as the doors opened, early-morning bargain hunters ran wild through the store

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

These are the wildest — yet plausible — theories floating around the Internet, and well, Hearties aren't holding back. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "The Craziest 'When Calls the Heart' Theories About How the Show Will Handle Lori Loughlin's Exit," 4 May 2019 Every forest, every river, every ocean, every coastline, every insect, every wild animal. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Prince Harry Just Gave a Powerful Speech at This Year's WE Day," 6 Mar. 2019 Clues emerged: first a pair of big, bright coral earrings, then a teal strap and bag, before an explosion of color in a wild bird's nest of tulle. — Rhonda Richford, The Hollywood Reporter, "It Was Black, White and Bold All Over at Red-Carpet Ready Armani Prive Couture Show," 4 July 2018 The fact that people are so connected and attached to these mindsets and perceptions is so wild. — Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, Harper's BAZAAR, "Willow Smith Opens Up About What the Future of Feminism Actually Looks Like," 19 Feb. 2019 That's a big difference from the wild world of Breath of the Wild modding, which runs through PC emulation of the Wii U version of the game. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Modders revamp Super Mario Odyssey on hacked Switch hardware," 13 July 2018 Any other helpful tips for spotting fake news in the wild? — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "What Is Fake News and How Can I Spot It?," 25 Mar. 2019 Of course, there's already the hit show featuring the (often wild) goings-on of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the gang, not to mention Netflix's The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which also takes place in the ACU. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Katy Keene: Everything We Know So Far About the Riverdale Spinoff," 12 Mar. 2019 The Identity Leak Checker asks for your email (nothing more), then uses that email to generate a list of information that’s out in the wild, including your name, IP address, and password, if applicable. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "A second, massive Collections leak of 2.2 billion email addresses probably has your information," 31 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The tigers, wolves and bears that appear again and again in different media embody the mysterious power and beauty of the wild. — Gayle Clemans, The Seattle Times, "Artists at Winston Wächter gallery construct enticing ‘Summer Dreams’," 30 July 2018 This time, the Chateau Marmont logo appeared on several outfits, including the hotel’s unofficial mascot Pan, the god of the wild, shepherds, and flocks. — Sarah Spellings, The Cut, "9 References to Death in Gucci’s Cruise Show," 31 May 2018 In this steep swath of the wild, one formative force of nature is water. — azcentral, "Into the water," 15 May 2018 In that way, Redford’s book tells the story that rarely makes it into an exciting adventure memoir—that of a person whose life isn’t magically transformed by climbing or who sometimes feels the betrayal of the wild more strongly than the benefits. — Jayme Moye, Outside Online, "A Climbing Memoir with More Agony Than Ecstasy," 8 May 2018 In the first race of his first full-time season with the rebuilding Richard Petty Motorsports team, Wallace drove through mayhem on a wild last lap and finished second to Austin Dillon in his sport’s biggest race. — Mike Hembree, USA TODAY, "NASCAR's Bubba Wallace seeking reprise of stellar Daytona run," 6 July 2018 In April, National Geographic reported on a man who had taken a leopard cat from the wild after apparently mistaking it for a domestic kitten. — Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, "Can People Really Mistake a Bear for a Dog, as This Family Claims?," 16 May 2018 Carl says buyers should instead turn to chain stores, which don't sell plants taken from the wild. — Bruce Henderson, charlotteobserver, "NC's insect-gobbling Venus flytrap is at the brink of extinction. Help might be on the way. | Charlotte Observer," 11 May 2018 Calls for impeachment from some House members are guttural utterances from the wild. — John Baer, Philly.com, "Impeach state Supreme Court? Not happening. But watch for GOP payback | John Baer," 26 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

The crowd went wild, according to a video Bowling shared with the Louisville Courier-Journal. — Cleve Wootson, chicagotribune.com, "Kentucky crowd cheered valedictorian for quoting Trump. Then he told them it was Obama.," 4 June 2018 On April 21, the Powdersville High School dubbed two students prom king and queen – and just like any other year, the crowd went wild. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "This Teen Won Prom King in a Dress, Then Got Bullied By His Classmates' Parents," 1 May 2018 Despite modest spring-training expectations from oddsmakers and analysts, the Oakland Athletics have emerged as baseball’s biggest surprise, surging into an American League wild-card spot with about six weeks remaining in the regular season. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "The Most 2018 Team in Baseball: the A’s," 14 Aug. 2018 And even if the Rays had somehow won their game earlier in the evening, the A’s 7-3 victory over the Mariners would have cemented at least a spot for Oakland in the American League wild-card game. — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, "It’s a celebration at Safeco Field, but visiting A’s enjoy all the fun of making playoffs," 24 Sep. 2018 When del Potro stood up and raised his arms in the air, the crowd went wild. — Tom Perrotta, WSJ, "Kevin Anderson Upsets Roger Federer at Wimbledon," 11 July 2018 After the win, fans went wild all over Paris, and many congregated on the famous Champs-Elysees with plenty of flags and chants. — Charlotte Carroll, SI.com, "Watch: Fans Go Wild in Paris to Celebrate France Advancing to World Cup Final," 10 July 2018 And the library goes wild: There's more to do than just read at the St. Francis Public Library, 4230 S. Nicholson Ave. — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 Things-to-do this week in the southern suburbs," 9 July 2018 By the end, in one of the video’s best shots, she and the dancers are going wild in the Louvre basement, and topless men are jumping for joy in front of the sphinx. — Jason Farago, New York Times, "At the Louvre, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Are Both Outsiders and Heirs," 17 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wild.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.