plural wolves
ˈwu̇lvz 
nonstandard ˈwu̇vz
often attributive
1
plural also wolf
a
: any of several large predatory canids (genus Canis) that are active mostly at night, live and hunt in packs, and resemble the related dogs
especially
: gray wolf
Note: Wolves have long been viewed as threats to livestock and people resulting in significant worldwide declines in their numbers and range size due to persistent eradication efforts (as by hunting, trapping, and poisoning).
b
: the fur of a wolf
2
a(1)
: a fierce, rapacious, or destructive person
(2)
: a man forward, direct, and zealous in amatory attentions to women
b
: dire poverty : starvation
keep the wolf from the door
c
: the maggot of a warble fly
3
[German; from the howling sound]
a(1)
: dissonance in some chords on organs, pianos, or other instruments with fixed tones tuned by unequal temperament
(2)
: an instance of such dissonance
b
: a harshness due to faulty vibration in various tones in a bowed instrument
Synonyms
Examples of wolf in a Sentence
Noun
no sooner had the lottery winner's name been made public than the wolves with their investment schemes showed up on her doorstep
Verb
don't wolf your food or you'll be sick
Recent Examples on the Web
Byvirginia Morell, science.org, 23 Oct. 2024
Shaw said that every few years, her cameras catch a wolf or two — and sometimes even a pack.
—CBS News, 12 Oct. 2024
Amanda Peukert, SPIN, 1 Nov. 2024
All of that work, however, may have only been a prologue for her tour-de-force performance wolfing down a mile-high burger.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wolf 
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The numbers of elks killed by people and wolves have been updated.
—Byvirginia Morell, science.org, 23 Oct. 2024
Shaw said that every few years, her cameras catch a wolf or two — and sometimes even a pack.
—CBS News, 12 Oct. 2024
Verb
Every 30 days, expect an array of songs, diverse and delicious, served hot off the flat-top and waiting to be wolfed down.
—Amanda Peukert, SPIN, 1 Nov. 2024
All of that work, however, may have only been a prologue for her tour-de-force performance wolfing down a mile-high burger.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wolf
Articles Related to wolf
Dictionary Entries Near wolf
Cite this Entry
“Wolf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wolf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wolf
1 of 2 noun
plural wolves
ˈwu̇lvz
1
2
: a person who resembles a wolf in fierceness
wolfish
adjective
ˈwu̇l-fish
wolf
2 of 2 verb
: to eat greedily
wolfed down the pizza
Biographical Definition
Wolf
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Hugo Philipp Jakob 1860–1903 Austrian composer
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