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

Definition for wolf (2 of 2)

Wolf

[ vawlf ]

/ vɔlf /

noun

Baron Christian von. Christian von Wolff.

Frie·drich Au·gust

[free-drikh ou-goo st] /ˈfri drɪx ˈaʊ gʊst/,1759–1824, German classical scholar.

Hu·go

[hoo-goh] /ˈhu goʊ/,1860–1903, Austrian composer.

a male given name.

Example sentences from the Web for wolf

It reminded me a bit of an alternative take on The Wolf of Wall Street—through the Toni and Candace lens.

Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness |Marlow Stern |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The Wolf of Wall Street is a dangerous, incendiary work of art.

Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange |Marlow Stern |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Wolf concurs that the conceit of the show seems to have everyone but the sex worker in mind.

To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show |Samantha Allen |December 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“Usually being a police officer does not give you great insight into the lives of sex workers,” Wolf says.

To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show |Samantha Allen |December 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

And, as any good public defender would, Wolf says the allegations are absurd.

The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist |Creede Newton |December 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The boys had become so interested in bringing down the wolf that they had paid no attention to what was taking place overhead.

The Rover Boys at Big Horn Ranch |Edward Stratemeyer
The wolf was a tenacious fellow, and he struggled desperately to rise.

The Camp in the Snow |William Murray Graydon
And the vitals of a wolf could no more strongly have felt the instinct to rend.

The Mysterious Rider |Zane Grey
The young man was still less disposed to be vexed with Wolf for his delay when Barbara appeared in Ursel's room.

Barbara Blomberg, Complete |Georg Ebers
But now had Face-of-god no need to ask what these meant, since he knew that they were the names of the kindreds of the Wolf.

The Roots of the Mountains |William Morris

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (1 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

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (2 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

Idioms and Phrases with wolf

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

Definition for wolf (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for wolf

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (1 of 2)

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

verb

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (2 of 2)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with 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

Definition for wolf (2 of 2)

noun

Words related to wolf

Example sentences from the Web for wolf

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (1 of 2)

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

verb

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

British Dictionary definitions for wolf (2 of 2)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with wolf