the wild

noun

: a wild, free, or natural place, state, or existence

The plants were collected from the wild.

They will return the animal to the wild when it is healthy.

I've only seen that animal in a zoo, never in the wild.

Examples of the wild in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All this historical finger-pointing and conflicting information—along with the cockroach’s lack of natural habitat in the wild—has left scientists at a loss. —

Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024 With Phoenix Fan Fusion 2024 quickly approaching, here's a quick refresher on the do's and don'ts of approaching cosplayers at conventions and out in the wild. —

Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 21 May 2024 Park officials took the opportunity to remind people on how to prevent human-bear conflicts in the wild. —

Jon Haworth, ABC News, 21 May 2024 In the wild, the armadillos will burrow in loose sand and desert areas of Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile, according to Zoo Atlanta. —

Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 20 May 2024 But the scale never tips too far into the wild west theme. —

Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 15 May 2024 For the first time, scientists observed an orangutan, a primate, in the wild treating a wound with a plant that has medicinal properties. —

Emily Anthes, New York Times, 12 May 2024 Patagonian maras live on average to about 14 years old in the wild. —

David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024 And experts have cautioned that the toxin’s popularity is threatening the health of the toad in the wild. —

Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the wild.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.