Illustration of right whale
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
Examples of right whale in a Sentence
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Experts are worried that one of the 384 North Atlantic right whales left in the world won't survive the winter.
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Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
There are estimated to be 384 right whales left in the world.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 10 Dec. 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
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Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
There are estimated to be 384 right whales left in the world.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 10 Dec. 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
See All Example Sentences for right whale
Cite this Entry
“Right whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right%20whale. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
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