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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

wolf

/wʊlf/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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What does wolf mean?

noun

  1. Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily.
  2. Any of several related canines that resemble Canis lupus in appearance, especially those of the genus Canis.
  3. A man who makes amorous advances to many women.
More meanings (13)

noun

  1. A wolf tone or wolf note.
  2. (figuratively) Any very ravenous, rapacious, or destructive person or thing; especially, want; starvation.
  3. One of the destructive, and usually hairy, larvae of several species of beetles and grain moths.
  4. A white worm which infests granaries, the larva of Nemapogon granella, a tineid moth.
  5. A wolf spider (Lycosidae spp.).
  6. A willying machine, that uses willow twigs to cleanse wool.
  7. (obsolete) An eating ulcer or sore. See lupus.

verb

  1. To devour; to gobble; to eat (something) voraciously.
  2. (slang) To make amorous advances to many women; to hit on women; to cruise for sex.
  3. To hunt for wolves.

proper noun

  1. The constellation Lupus.
  2. A surname transferred from the given name.
  3. A male given name.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/wʊlf/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Who could have bound the lamb to the wolf, and, what was still more incomprehensible, have attached the wolf to the lamb?
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
She announced her condition by a long, heartbreaking wolf howl that sent every dog bristling with fear, then sprang straight for Buck.
Jack LondonThe call of the wildProject Gutenberg ebook #215
More book examples (3)
“I have heard now and again of such a thing, but never in our Pack or in my time,” said Father Wolf.
Rudyard KiplingThe Jungle BookProject Gutenberg ebook #236
Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and tried to get down the chimney in order to eat up the little pig.
Sara Cone BryantHow to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to TellProject Gutenberg ebook #474
About a year afterward a wolf, followed by several cubs and a strange, ape-like creature, was seen about ten miles from Chupra.
George M. (George Milbrey) Gould; Walter L. (Walter Lytle) PyleAnomalies and Curiosities of MedicineProject Gutenberg ebook #747