wolf

[ woo lf ]

/ wʊlf /

noun, plural wolves [woo lvz] /wʊlvz/.

any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, especially C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range.

the fur of such an animal.

any of various wolflike animals of different families, as the thylacine.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Lupus.

the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.

a cruelly rapacious person.

Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.

Music.

the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, especially the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
a chord or interval in which such a discord appears.
(in bowed instruments) a discordant or false vibration in a string due to a defect in structure or adjustment of the instrument.

verb (used with object)

to devour voraciously (often followed by down): He wolfed his food.

verb (used without object)

to hunt for wolves.

Idioms for wolf

cry wolf, to give a false alarm: Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf?

keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for: Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.

throw to the wolves. throw(def 57).

wolf in sheep's clothing, a person who conceals his or her evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.

Origin of wolf

before 900; Middle English; Old English wulf; cognate with German Wolf, Old Norse ulfr, Gothic wulfs, Polish wilk, Lithuanian vil̃kas, Sanskrit vṛka; akin to Latin lupus, Greek lýkos

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

wolf·like, adjective

Words nearby wolf

wokingham, wokka board, wolcott, wold, wolds, wolf, wolf call, wolf cub, wolf dog, wolf herring, wolf in sheep's clothing

British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (1 of 2)

Wolf

/ (German vɔlf) /

noun

Friedrich August (ˈfriːdrɪç ˈauɡʊst). 1759–1824, German classical scholar, who suggested that the Homeric poems, esp the Iliad, are products of an oral tradition

Hugo (ˈhuːɡo). 1860–1903, Austrian composer, esp of songs, including the Italienisches Liederbuch and the Spanisches Liederbuch

(wʊlf) Howlin'. See Howlin' Wolf

British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (2 of 2)

wolf

/ (wʊlf) /

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

a predatory canine mammal, Canis lupus, which hunts in packs and was formerly widespread in North America and Eurasia but is now less common See also timber wolf Related adjective: lupine

any of several similar and related canines, such as the red wolf and the coyote (prairie wolf)

the fur of any such animal

Tasmanian wolf another name for the thylacine

a voracious, grabbing, or fiercely cruel person or thing

informal a man who habitually tries to seduce women

informal the destructive larva of any of various moths and beetles

Also called: wolf note music

an unpleasant sound produced in some notes played on the violin, cello, etc, owing to resonant vibrations of the belly
an out-of-tune effect produced on keyboard instruments accommodated esp to the system of mean-tone temperamentSee temperament (def. 4)

cry wolf to give a false alarm

keep the wolf from the door to ward off starvation or privation

lone wolf a person or animal who prefers to be alone

throw to the wolves to abandon or deliver to destruction

wolf in sheep's clothing a malicious person in a harmless or benevolent disguise

verb

(tr often foll by down) to gulp (down)

(intr) to hunt wolves

Derived forms of wolf

wolfish, adjective wolflike, adjective

Word Origin for wolf

Old English wulf; related to Old High German wolf, Old Norse ulfr, Gothic wulfs, Latin lupus and vulpēs fox

Idioms and Phrases with cry wolf (1 of 2)

cry wolf

Raise a false alarm, as in Helen's always crying wolf about attempted break-ins, but the police can never find any evidence. This term comes from the tale about a young shepherd watching his flock who, lonely and fearful, called for help by shouting “Wolf!” After people came to his aid several times and saw no wolf, they ignored his cries when a wolf actually attacked his sheep. The tale appeared in a translation of Aesop's fables by Roger L'Estrange (1692), and the expression has been applied to any false alarm since the mid-1800s.

Idioms and Phrases with cry wolf (2 of 2)

wolf

In addition to the idiom beginning with wolf

wolf in sheep's clothing

also see:

cry wolf
keep the wolf from the door
lone wolf

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wolf

noun, plural wolves [woo lvz] /wʊlvz/.

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for wolf

Origin of wolf

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

Words nearby wolf

British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (2 of 2)

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

verb

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

Idioms and Phrases with cry wolf (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with cry wolf (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wolf

noun, plural wolves [woo lvz] /wʊlvz/.

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for wolf

Origin of wolf

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

Words nearby wolf

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (2 of 2)

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

verb

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

Idioms and Phrases with cry wolf (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with cry wolf (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for cry wolf (1 of 2)