wolves

[ woo lvz ]

/ wʊlvz /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wolves ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

plural of wolf.

Words nearby wolves

wolsey, wolver, wolverhampton, wolverine, wolverine state, wolves, wolves in sheep's clothing, woman, woman about town, woman in the street, woman of letters

Definition for wolves (2 of 2)

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.

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

Example sentences from the Web for wolves

Smith, the current police chief, called Lee a “scapegoat” who was “thrown to the wolves” to satisfy political critics.

Florida Cops on What Ferguson Can Learn From Trayvon |Chris Francescani |November 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“Raised by Wolves” tells the story of a traumatic car-bombing in Dublin.

U2 Generously Gives Us a Lousy Album, Sucks at the Corporate Teat |Hampton Stevens |September 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And so it is Asian British women who are flung to the wolves.

How Britain Made James Foley's Killer |Louise Mensch |August 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“The dynamic of pushing people further into these wilderness areas is almost like putting out meat for the wolves,” she says.

How Mexico’s Cartels Are Behind the Border Kid Crisis |Caitlin Dickson |July 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

I did once see a pack of wolves try to bring down a bison at decade or so ago.

American Wilderness Faces the Firing Squad |Doug Peacock |July 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There were two wolves wounded by Ouligbuck's gun last night, one of which he caught before breakfast.

Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847 |John Rae
The wolves, the ravens, and the Indians were brothers in blood, and all followed the buffalo herds together.

John Ermine of the Yellowstone |Frederic Remington
She cannot tell who may come, and some men, as we know, are but wolves in sheep's clothing.

The Soul of a People |H. Fielding
The wolves in the valley near-by howled ceaseless responses in this remarkable antiphonal chorus.

The Awakening of the Desert |Julius C. Birge
As they looked the last of the wolves disappeared in the forest.

The Wolf Hunters |James Oliver Curwood

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (1 of 3)

wolves

/ (wʊlvz) /

noun

the plural of wolf

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (2 of 3)

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 wolves (3 of 3)

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 wolves

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

wolves

noun

Words nearby wolves

Definition for wolves (2 of 2)

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

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of wolf

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

Example sentences from the Web for wolves

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (3 of 3)

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

verb

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

Idioms and Phrases with wolves

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wolves

noun

Words nearby wolves

Definition for wolves (2 of 2)

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

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of wolf

OTHER WORDS FROM wolf

Words related to wolves

Example sentences from the Web for wolves

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wolves (3 of 3)

noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)

verb

Derived forms of wolf

Word Origin for wolf

Idioms and Phrases with wolves