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
Colossal scientists created the animals by using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology to alter the genes of a gray wolf.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
By adding red wolves born at Colossal, the red wolf population could be boosted – similar to how the gray wolf population in Yellowstone was increased.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
The pups were large (one of them, James told me, was twice the normal weight of a gray wolf at birth) and white (gray wolves are born with very dark coats), with unusually robust heads.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
They are expected to mature at 130 to 150 pounds — by contrast, a typical gray wolf clocks in at about 80 to 100 pounds.
—Degen Pener, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gray wolf
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
By adding red wolves born at Colossal, the red wolf population could be boosted – similar to how the gray wolf population in Yellowstone was increased.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
The pups were large (one of them, James told me, was twice the normal weight of a gray wolf at birth) and white (gray wolves are born with very dark coats), with unusually robust heads.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
They are expected to mature at 130 to 150 pounds — by contrast, a typical gray wolf clocks in at about 80 to 100 pounds.
—Degen Pener, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gray wolf
Cite this Entry
“Gray wolf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20wolf. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share