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Wolves - 5 dictionary results

wolves

  [woolvz]
Use Wolves in a Sentence
–noun
pl. of wolf.

wolf

  [woolf] noun, plural wolves  [woolvz] , verb
–noun
1. any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, esp. C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range.
2. the fur of such an animal.
3. any of various wolflike animals of different families, as the thylacine.
4. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Lupus.
5. the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.
6. a cruelly rapacious person.
7. Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.
8. Music.
a. the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, esp. the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
b. a chord or interval in which such a discord appears.
c. (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)
9. to devour voraciously (often fol. by down): He wolfed his food.
–verb (used without object)
10. to hunt for wolves.
—Idioms
11. cry wolf, to give a false alarm: Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf?
12. keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for: Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.
13. wolf in sheep's clothing, a person who conceals his or her evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE wulf; c. G Wolf, ON ulfr, Goth wulfs, Pol wilk, Lith vil̃kas, Skt vṛka; akin to L lupus, Gk lýkos

Related forms:
wolflike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Wolves
wolf   (wŏŏlf)   
n.   pl. wolves (wŏŏlvz)
    1. Either of two carnivorous mammals of the family Canidae, especially the gray wolf of northern regions, that typically live and hunt in hierarchical packs and prey on livestock and game animals.
    2. The fur of such an animal.
    3. Any of various similar or related mammals, such as the hyena.
    4. A harshness in some tones of a bowed stringed instrument produced by defective vibration.
    5. Dissonance in perfect fifths on a keyboard instrument tuned to a system of unequal temperament.
  2. The destructive larva of any of various moths, beetles, or flies.
  3. One that is regarded as predatory, rapacious, and fierce.
  4. Slang A man given to paying unwanted sexual attention to women.
  5. Music
    1. A harshness in some tones of a bowed stringed instrument produced by defective vibration.
    2. Dissonance in perfect fifths on a keyboard instrument tuned to a system of unequal temperament.
tr.v.   wolfed, wolf·ing, wolfs
To eat greedily or voraciously: "The town's big shots were ... wolfing down the buffet" (Ralph Ellison).

[Middle English, from Old English wulf; see wkwo- in Indo-European roots.]
wolves   (wŏŏlvz)   
n.  Plural of wolf.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Wolves

Wolves\, n., pl. of Wolf.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Wolves
Spanish: lobo,
German: der Wolf,
Japanese: おおかみ
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