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Fox vs. Wolf — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on July 2, 2024
A "Fox" is a small, omnivorous canine known for its cunning, while a "Wolf" is a larger, pack-hunting predator. Both belong to the Canidae family but differ in size, behavior, and habitat.
Fox vs. Wolf — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Fox and Wolf

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Key Differences

"Fox" and "Wolf" refer to two distinct species within the Canidae family. While they share a common ancestry, they possess significant differences in behavior, physical characteristics, and ecological roles. A fox is generally smaller, with a sharp muzzle, bushy tail, and a reputation for cunning and adaptability. On the other hand, the wolf, larger in stature, is recognized for its pack behavior and prowess in hunting. Often depicted in folklore and literature as a symbol of wilderness, the wolf has a robust build, a broader snout, and powerful jaws.
While both foxes and wolves can be found across various continents, their preferred habitats differ. Foxes are versatile, inhabiting forests, grasslands, deserts, and even urban areas. In contrast, wolves prefer wilder landscapes, such as forests, tundras, and grasslands, where they can roam freely and hunt.
Moreover, cultural perceptions of these two canids have differed historically. The fox, with its sly demeanor, often features in tales as the trickster, while the wolf, with its raw power and pack loyalty, embodies both feared predator and revered spirit animal in many cultures.

Comparison Chart

Size

Smaller
Larger

Behavior

Generally solitary
Pack animals
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Diet

Omnivorous, varies with species
Predominantly carnivorous

Physical Traits

Sharp muzzle, bushy tail
Robust build, broader snout, powerful jaws

Habitat

Versatile: forests, grasslands, urban areas
Forests, tundras, grasslands

Compare with Definitions

Fox

A versatile predator often found in diverse habitats.
We spotted a fox during our hike in the woods.

Wolf

A mammal with a strong build and high stamina.
The gray wolf chased its prey across the plains.

Fox

Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or brush).

Wolf

A creature respected and feared in many cultures.
Native tribes revered the wolf as a spiritual totem.

Fox

A member of a North American people formerly living in southern Wisconsin, and now mainly in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

Wolf

The wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, and gray wolves, as colloquially understood, comprise non-domestic/feral subspecies.

Fox

The Algonquian language of the Fox, now almost extinct.

Wolf

Any of several carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, especially the gray wolf of northern regions, that typically live and hunt in packs.

Fox

Baffle or deceive (someone)
The abbreviation foxed me completely

Wolf

The fur of such an animal.

Fox

Relating to the Fox or their language.

Wolf

Any of various similar or related mammals, such as the hyena.

Fox

A member of a Native American people formerly inhabiting various parts of southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and eastern Iowa, with present-day populations in central Iowa and with the Sauk in Oklahoma.

Wolf

The destructive larva of any of various moths, beetles, or flies.

Fox

The Algonquian language of the Fox.

Wolf

One that is regarded as predatory, rapacious, and fierce.

Fox

Any of various carnivorous mammals of the family Canidae and especially of the genus Vulpes, found worldwide and characteristically having upright ears, a pointed snout, and a long bushy tail.

Wolf

(Slang)A man who habitually makes aggressive sexual advances to women.

Fox

The fur of one of these mammals.

Wolf

A harshness in some tones of a bowed stringed instrument produced by defective vibration.

Fox

A crafty, sly, or clever person.

Wolf

Dissonance in perfect fifths on a keyboard instrument tuned to a system of unequal temperament.

Fox

(Slang) A sexually attractive person.

Wolf

To eat greedily or voraciously:"The town's big shots were ... wolfing down the buffet"(Ralph Ellison).

Fox

(Nautical) Small cordage made by twisting together two or more strands of tarred yarn.

Wolf

Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily.

Fox

(Archaic) A sword.

Wolf

Any of several related canines that resemble Canis lupus in appearance, especially those of the genus Canis.

Fox

To trick or fool by ingenuity or cunning; outwit.

Wolf

A man who makes amorous advances to many women.

Fox

To baffle or confuse.

Wolf

(music) A wolf tone or wolf note.
The soft violin solo was marred by persistent wolves.

Fox

To make (beer) sour by fermenting.

Wolf

(figurative) Any very ravenous, rapacious, or destructive person or thing; especially, want; starvation.
They toiled hard to keep the wolf from the door.
The bee wolf

Fox

To repair (a shoe) by attaching a new upper.

Wolf

One of the destructive, and usually hairy, larvae of several species of beetles and grain moths.

Fox

(Obsolete) To intoxicate.

Wolf

A white worm which infests granaries, the larva of Nemapogon granella, a tineid moth.

Fox

To act slyly or craftily.

Wolf

A wolf spider.

Fox

To turn sour in fermenting. Used of beer.

Wolf

(obsolete) An eating ulcer or sore. See lupus.

Fox

A red fox, small carnivore (Vulpes vulpes), related to dogs and wolves, with red or silver fur and a bushy tail.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Wolf

A willying machine, to cleanse wool or willow.

Fox

Any of numerous species of small wild canids resembling the red fox. In the taxonomy they form the tribe Vulpini within the family Canidae, consisting of nine genera (see the Wikipedia article on the fox).

Wolf

(transitive) To devour; to gobble; to eat (something) voraciously.

Fox

The fur of a fox.

Wolf

To make amorous advances to many women; to hit on women; to cruise for sex.

Fox

A fox terrier.

Wolf

(intransitive) To hunt for wolves.

Fox

The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.

Wolf

Any one of several species of wild and savage carnivores belonging to the genus Canis and closely allied to the common dog. The best-known and most destructive species are the European wolf (Canis lupus), the American gray, or timber, wolf (Canis occidentalis), and the prairie wolf, or coyote. Wolves often hunt in packs, and may thus attack large animals and even man.

Fox

A cunning person.

Wolf

One of the destructive, and usually hairy, larvæ of several species of beetles and grain moths; as, the bee wolf.

Fox

A physically attractive man or woman.

Wolf

Fig.: Any very ravenous, rapacious, or destructive person or thing; especially, want; starvation; as, they toiled hard to keep the wolf from the door.

Fox

A person with reddish brown hair, usually a woman.

Wolf

A white worm, or maggot, which infests granaries.

Fox

(nautical) A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.

Wolf

An eating ulcer or sore. Cf. Lupus.
If God should send a cancer upon thy face, or a wolf into thy side.

Fox

(mechanics) A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.

Wolf

The harsh, howling sound of some of the chords on an organ or piano tuned by unequal temperament.

Fox

A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.

Wolf

A willying machine.

Fox

(cartomancy) The fourteenth Lenormand card.

Wolf

Any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs

Fox

(obsolete) A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.

Wolf

Austrian composer (1860-1903)

Fox

Air-to-air weapon launched.

Wolf

German classical scholar who claimed that the Iliad and Odyssey were composed by several authors (1759-1824)

Fox

(transitive) To trick, fool or outwit (someone) by cunning or ingenuity.

Wolf

A man who is aggressive in making amorous advances to women

Fox

(transitive) To confuse or baffle (someone).
This crossword puzzle has completely foxed me.

Wolf

A cruelly rapacious person

Fox

(intransitive) To act slyly or craftily.

Wolf

Eat hastily;
The teenager wolfed down the pizza

Fox

(intransitive) To discolour paper. Fox marks are spots on paper caused by humidity. (See foxing.)
The pages of the book show distinct foxing.

Wolf

A large canine known for hunting in packs.
The wolf howled at the moon, signaling its pack.

Fox

(transitive) To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.

Wolf

A symbol of wilderness and raw predatory power.
Legends often portray the wolf as a guardian of the forest.

Fox

(intransitive) To turn sour; said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.

Wolf

An apex predator with a deep connection to its pack.
The bond within a wolf pack ensures their survival.

Fox

(transitive) To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.

Fox

(transitive) To repair (boots) with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

Fox

A carnivorous animal of the genus Vulpes, family Canidæ, of many species. The European fox (V. vulgaris or V. vulpes), the American red fox (V. fulvus), the American gray fox (V. Virginianus), and the arctic, white, or blue, fox (V. lagopus) are well-known species.
Subtle as the fox for prey.

Fox

The European dragonet.

Fox

The fox shark or thrasher shark; - called also sea fox. See Thrasher shark, under Shark.

Fox

A sly, cunning fellow.
We call a crafty and cruel man a fox.

Fox

Rope yarn twisted together, and rubbed with tar; - used for seizings or mats.

Fox

A sword; - so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.
Thou diest on point of fox.

Fox

A tribe of Indians which, with the Sacs, formerly occupied the region about Green Bay, Wisconsin; - called also Outagamies.

Fox

To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.
I drank . . . so much wine that I was almost foxed.

Fox

To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.

Fox

To repair the feet of, as of boots, with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

Fox

To turn sour; - said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.

Fox

Alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs

Fox

A shifty deceptive person

Fox

The gray or reddish-brown fur of a fox

Fox

English statesman who supported American independence and the French Revolution (1749-1806)

Fox

English religious leader who founded the Society of Friends (1624-1691)

Fox

A member of an Algonquian people formerly living west of Lake Michigan along the Fox River

Fox

The Algonquian language of the Fox people

Fox

Deceive somebody;
We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week

Fox

Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly;
These questions confuse even the experts
This question completely threw me
This question befuddled even the teacher

Fox

Become discolored with, or as if with, mildew spots

Fox

A small carnivorous mammal known for its agility and cunning.
The fox stealthily approached the hen house.

Fox

A member of the canine family with a pointed snout and bushy tail.
The red fox's fur shimmered in the sun.

Fox

An animal symbolic of craftiness in various cultures.
In tales, the fox often outsmarts bigger creatures.

Fox

A creature that varies in size and color across different species.
The Arctic fox turns white in winter.

Common Curiosities

Are both foxes and wolves members of the canine family?

Yes, both belong to the Canidae family.

Are all foxes red in color?

No, foxes come in various colors, such as red, gray, and Arctic white.

Which is larger, a fox or a wolf?

A wolf is typically larger than a fox.

Do wolves always hunt in packs?

Mostly, but sometimes they can hunt solo, especially when pursuing smaller prey.

Is the fox considered more cunning than the wolf?

Folklore often portrays the fox as cunning, while the wolf is seen as a powerful predator.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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