wolf

[ woo lf ]
/ wʊlf /

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

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

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

British Dictionary definitions for keep the wolf from the door (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 keep the wolf from the door (2 of 2)

wolf
/ (wʊlf) /

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

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 keep the wolf from the door (1 of 2)

keep the wolf from the door

Ward off starvation or financial ruin. For example, In many countries people are working simply to keep the wolf from the door, and owning a car or washing machine is just a dream, or Gail would take any job now, just to keep the wolf from the door. This term alludes to the wolf's fabled ravenousness. [Mid-1500s]

Idioms and Phrases with keep the wolf from the door (2 of 2)

wolf