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
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As an example, the team at Colossal uses the genetics of the used the genetics of the closet relative of the team successfully used comparative genetics with its closest living relatives, the gray wolf, to fill in critical gaps in the genetic sequence.
—Nish Acharya, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The Colossal team used CRISPR to make 20 changes in 14 different genes in a modern gray wolf cell before implanting the embryo into a surrogate mother.
—Alex Erwin, The Conversation, 6 June 2025
For reference, the brothers are nearly 20 to 25 percent larger than their closest living relative, the gray wolf, would be at the same age—and the duo is expected to be 140 pounds each when they’re fully grown.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2025
The biotech company has genetically altered three gray wolf puppies — named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi — that were born over the last year.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 9 July 2025
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Nish Acharya, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The Colossal team used CRISPR to make 20 changes in 14 different genes in a modern gray wolf cell before implanting the embryo into a surrogate mother.
—Alex Erwin, The Conversation, 6 June 2025
For reference, the brothers are nearly 20 to 25 percent larger than their closest living relative, the gray wolf, would be at the same age—and the duo is expected to be 140 pounds each when they’re fully grown.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2025
The biotech company has genetically altered three gray wolf puppies — named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi — that were born over the last year.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 9 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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