wolf of Wall Street
(A name for) an aggressive, prominent, and wealthy financier; specifically (derogatory), one who swindles or takes unfair advantage of people.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He acts like a wolf of Wall Street with his aggressive sales tactics.”
“She fears her brother is becoming a greedy wolf of Wall Street.”
“Do you think every successful banker is secretly a wolf of Wall Street?”
“The young trader became a total wolf of Wall Street, tricking clients just to earn a massive bonus.”
“Local business owners worry that the new investor is a wolf of Wall Street who will strip the company of its assets and then leave.”
“After losing his savings to a wolf of Wall Street, the retired teacher warned others to be careful about where they put their money.”
“The documentary exposes how the firm's founder evolved into a notorious wolf of Wall Street, exploiting vulnerable investors to build his fraudulent empire.”
From wolf, in the sense of a rapacious or destructive person, and Wall Street, the metonym for American financial institutions. The construction follows the pattern of assigning a predatory animal to the geography of big-business interests.
- 01
back to the wall
A very difficult situation with no beneficial options available for action.
- 02
balls to the wall
With maximum effort or commitment.
- 03
bang one's head against a brick wall
To waste effort on a futile project.
- 04
blue wall of silence
Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.
- 05
bounce off the walls
To be overly active relative to the enclosed space in which one is.
- 06
break the fourth wall
To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.
- 07
Chinese Wall
An information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
- 08
climb the walls
To behave in a distressed or frantic manner; to exhibit great agitation.
Last updated August 10, 2026