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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First gray wolf sighting in a century Wildlife groups say a gray wolf has been detected in Sequoia National Park for the first time in over 100 years, Saleen Martin reports.
—Kristin Scharkey, USA Today, 20 May 2026
For the dire wolf, the Colossal team had to make just 20 edits on 14 genes to give a gray wolf the dire wolf’s white coat, larger size, more powerful bite, more robust fat distribution, and other key traits.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
The gray wolf is protected as an endangered species under state and federal law.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
After his partners had been gone a few minutes, the big gray wolf openly ran to within 100 yards of the caribou, sat down in plain sight, and started to howl.
—Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
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Kristin Scharkey, USA Today, 20 May 2026
For the dire wolf, the Colossal team had to make just 20 edits on 14 genes to give a gray wolf the dire wolf’s white coat, larger size, more powerful bite, more robust fat distribution, and other key traits.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
The gray wolf is protected as an endangered species under state and federal law.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
After his partners had been gone a few minutes, the big gray wolf openly ran to within 100 yards of the caribou, sat down in plain sight, and started to howl.
—Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
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 1 Jun. 2026.
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