right whale

noun

: any of several large baleen whales (family Balaenidae and especially genus Eubalaena) that lack a dorsal fin and have very long baleen plates, an extremely large head with a V-shaped blowhole, a smooth throat, short, broad, rounded flippers, and whitish protuberances of thickened skin about the head

Illustration of right whale

Examples of right whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Monterey Bay Whale Watch boat captain and videographer Evan Brodsky encountered an even rarer group of northern right whale dolphins, according to the Associated Press. —Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025

Though researchers logged no right whale deaths in the latest report, entanglements and vessel strikes remain a serious threat to the animals. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025

But there are still right whales from past years that remain entangled. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025

And the proposal takes specific aim at the North Atlantic right whale protections with a clause that would delay rules designed to protect that declining whale population until 2035. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for right whale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

right whale

noun

: a large baleen whale with no fin on the back, a very large head, and small eyes near the lower part of the mouth