loup
/lu/masculine
The English word wolf is translated into French as loup.
loup is a masculine noun used to refer to the animal. For verbs meaning to devour, you can use dévorer or engloutir.
Meaning: animal (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Be careful not to confuse loup with the word loupe, which means a magnifying glass.
How do you pronounce it?
/lu/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse the word for wolf (loup) with the word for a magnifying glass (loupe), which is pronounced with a 'p' sound.
Did you know?
- In French, a 'wolf' is not just an animal but also a type of mask, as seen in the phrase loup used to describe the small masks worn at masquerade balls that cover only the eyes.
- In French culinary terms, a loup de mer is actually a delicious sea bass rather than a forest predator. This linguistic overlap means a menu might feature a 'sea wolf' that is entirely aquatic.
- The masculine form loup is actually a linguistic oddity. It was reformed to sound more like the feminine louve, even though the original masculine word was shorter.
Examples in context
- Est-ce un loup ?Is it a wolf?This sentence is useful for asking if an animal is a loup.Tatoeba #5389614 by Aiji, translation #2549771 by CK
- J'ai vu un loup.I saw a wolf.This sentence is useful for stating that you saw a loup.Tatoeba #13388530 by lbdx, translation #10650460 by CK
- Tom crie au loup.Tom cries wolf.This sentence is useful for the expression of crying wolf using loup.Tatoeba #10687522 by AutoBot, translation #10687521 by AutoBot
- Le loup est un animal sauvage.The wolf is a wild animal.
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are looking at a picture book about animals.
- EmmaRegarde ce loup noir.Look at this black wolf.
- GabrielIl est très impressionnant, ce loup.This wolf is very impressive.
- EmmaEst-ce que le loup est sauvage ?Is the wolf wild?
- GabrielOui, c'est un animal sauvage.Yes, it is a wild animal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wolf” translations and entries loup, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries loup, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
