Illustration of gray wolf
gray wolf
noun
: a large, broad-headed, wide-muzzled wolf (Canis lupus) that has a dense, heavy coat of usually light brown or brownish gray interspersed with black above and yellowish white below and that was formerly widely distributed throughout North America and Eurasia but is now greatly restricted to the more northerly parts of its range
The only sizable gray wolf population south of Canada and Alaska continues to roam the forest-and-lake country of northern Minnesota.—
Vic Banks
Vic BanksNote: The gray wolf has been considered a threat to livestock and people for hundreds of years and has been wiped out from most of its original range by hunting, trapping, and poisoning.
called also timber wolf
Examples of gray wolf in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Read Next Wandering Mexican gray wolf captured in New Mexico — for second time.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024
Federal wildlife agents are investigating a northern Wisconsin resident regarding the Dec. 25 killing of a gray wolf on his property.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
But these frolicking gray wolf pups still merge and reemerge with mesmerizing weirdness.
—Tyler Remmel, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
Once seen across the continental U.S., the gray wolf was diminished dramatically through predator-control programs in the 1900s.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024
The cause for the decline includes the impact of predation from the park’s gray wolf population, which was reintroduced in 1995, as well as other factors such as predation from grizzly bears and mountain lions, climate change, hunting of elk outside of the park, and more.
—Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 31 Jan. 2024
The title of second-longest migration goes to the gray wolf, the caribou’s predator.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2023
Tens of thousands of years ago in prehistoric Eurasia, some daredevil made friends with a gray wolf.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023
Biologists have widely accepted that seals, sea otters, and other marine species comprise much of a coastal gray wolf’s diet, but evidence that wolves actively hunt these critters (rather than just scavenging them) hasn’t surfaced until now.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023
Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024
Federal wildlife agents are investigating a northern Wisconsin resident regarding the Dec. 25 killing of a gray wolf on his property.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
But these frolicking gray wolf pups still merge and reemerge with mesmerizing weirdness.
—Tyler Remmel, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
Once seen across the continental U.S., the gray wolf was diminished dramatically through predator-control programs in the 1900s.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024
The cause for the decline includes the impact of predation from the park’s gray wolf population, which was reintroduced in 1995, as well as other factors such as predation from grizzly bears and mountain lions, climate change, hunting of elk outside of the park, and more.
—Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 31 Jan. 2024
The title of second-longest migration goes to the gray wolf, the caribou’s predator.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2023
Tens of thousands of years ago in prehistoric Eurasia, some daredevil made friends with a gray wolf.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023
Biologists have widely accepted that seals, sea otters, and other marine species comprise much of a coastal gray wolf’s diet, but evidence that wolves actively hunt these critters (rather than just scavenging them) hasn’t surfaced until now.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gray wolf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gray wolf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20wolf. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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