wolf spider
1
6.9
- noun
- /wʊlf ˈspaɪdər/
:
araña lobo
- During the summer, wolf spiders can often be found prowling the garden for food.
Examples
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A wolf spider hunts for insects on the ground rather than waiting in a web.
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Floyd and Leroy use brooms to fend off several wolf spiders.
Fiction book (2002) -
It's known as a wolf spider, famous for its ability to jump.
Blog text (28) -
Why are they called wolf spiders, you might ask?
Blog text (28) -
A wolf spider crawls after them from inside the house.
Fiction book (2002) -
I almost forgot to tell you about the spiders... big nasty wolf spiders... they like to jump up at your face!
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Wolf spiders crawl across rooftops.
Fiction book (2002) -
Here a struggle is going on between a spider wasp and a burrowing wolf spider.
Academic text (1996) -
If you see a large spider with a hairy body, it's probably a wolf spider searching for prey.
Synonyms
A spider that hunts and catches insects instead of making a web
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward noun+noun formation where 'wolf' conveys wolf-like hunting behaviour applied to 'spider', so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a type of spider that hunts (rather than relying on a web). This analogy-based, compositional pattern is common and follows normal English noun compounding, making the overall meaning transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Wolf spider gets its name from how this spider hunts on the ground. It chases or pounces on insects like a small wolf, so the name links wolf and spider and helps you remember it 'hunts' instead of making a web.