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
Colorado voters in 2020 voted 51% to 49% to bring the gray wolf back to the state, with a majority of the support coming from the urban Front Range.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
While Canada plays host to fascinating megafauna spanning from the polar bear to the gray wolf to the muskox, there’s one park in particular that offers a deep dive into the nation’s prehistoric past.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Mexican gray wolf has had a rough summer, out on the range and in the rooms where laws and regulations are written and enforced.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Hunnicutt is the gray wolf coordinator for the state of California, responsible for the complicated and nuanced job of protecting a re-emerging species that was once hunted out of existence here, while also making sure that humans and livestock can live alongside them.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2025
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Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
While Canada plays host to fascinating megafauna spanning from the polar bear to the gray wolf to the muskox, there’s one park in particular that offers a deep dive into the nation’s prehistoric past.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Mexican gray wolf has had a rough summer, out on the range and in the rooms where laws and regulations are written and enforced.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Hunnicutt is the gray wolf coordinator for the state of California, responsible for the complicated and nuanced job of protecting a re-emerging species that was once hunted out of existence here, while also making sure that humans and livestock can live alongside them.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 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 20 Sep. 2025.
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