Meaning & use
wolf in sheep's clothing
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Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
A person or thing that looks harmless or kind but is actually dangerous or intends to cause harm.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase: he turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Patterns
- be a wolf in sheep's clothing
- someone is a wolf in sheep's clothing
The charming salesman turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing who emptied her savings.
Be careful with that new manager; he may be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The friendly website was a wolf in sheep's clothing, full of hidden fees.
Word forms
| plural | wolves in sheep's clothing |
|---|
Common combinations
- a wolf in sheep's clothing
- The offer looked generous, but it was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
- turn out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing
- The kind neighbor turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
- like a wolf in sheep's clothing
- He crept into the group like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
- nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing
- The program was nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing for a tax increase.
Synonyms and how they differ
- impostor
- An impostor pretends to be someone else, while a wolf in sheep's clothing hides bad intentions behind a gentle surface.
- fraud
- Fraud stresses dishonesty or cheating; the idiom stresses the contrast between harmless looks and real danger.
- snake in the grass
- A snake in the grass is a secretly treacherous person, but the idiom here emphasizes a disguise of innocence.
Word family
Commonly confused: wolf in sheep's clothing or lamb to the slaughter?
wolf in sheep's clothing vs lamb to the slaughter
This idiom describes an innocent victim walking into danger, whereas a wolf in sheep's clothing is the dangerous one in disguise.
Practice
The charity looked honest, but it was really a ______ that used donations for the founder's luxury trips.
Choose one answer.
The charity hid a harmful purpose behind an innocent look. 'Lamb to the slaughter' would describe a victim, not the deceiver.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wolf in sheep's clothing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.