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wolf noun [ wʊlf ]

• a wild carnivorous mammal which is the largest member of the dog family, living and hunting in packs. It is native to both Eurasia and North America, but is much persecuted and has been widely exterminated.
• used figuratively to refer to a rapacious, ferocious, or voracious person or thing.
• "he calls the media ravening wolves"
• a harsh or out-of-tune effect produced when playing particular notes or intervals on a musical instrument, caused either by the instrument's construction or by divergence from equal temperament.

wolf verb

• devour (food) greedily.
• "he wolfed down his breakfast"
Similar: devour greedily, gobble (up), guzzle, gulp down, bolt, cram down, gorge oneself with, pack away, demolish, shovel down, stuff one's face with, stuff oneself with, pig oneself on, pig out on, sink, scoff (down), put away, get outside of, gollop, shift, gorb, scarf (down/up), snarf (down/up), inhale, ingurgitate,
Opposite: nibble, pick at,
Origin: Old English wulf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wolf and German Wolf, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lupus and Greek lukos . The verb dates from the mid 19th century.

cry wolf

• call for help when it is not needed, with the effect that one is not believed when one really does need help.
"he accused her of crying wolf"

hold a wolf by the ears

• be in a precarious position.
"we may end up holding the wolf by the ears"

keep the wolf from the door

• have enough money to avert hunger or starvation (used hyperbolically).
"I work part-time to pay the mortgage and keep the wolf from the door"

throw someone to the wolves

• leave someone to be roughly treated or criticized without trying to help or defend them.
"power brokers are biding their time before throwing him to the wolves"

a wolf in sheep's clothing

• a person or thing that appears friendly or harmless but is really hostile.
"the widespread belief that any British proposal was a wolf in sheep's clothing"



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