Illustration of sperm whale
: a very large toothed whale (Physeter macrocephalus synonym P. catodon) that has large conical teeth in the lower jaw, a single blowhole, and a massive squarish head with a closed cavity containing a fluid mixture of spermaceti and oil, and that may reach a length in the male of nearly 60 feet (18.3 meters)
Examples of sperm whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dominica Dominica is setting aside 304 square miles of ocean to protect endangered sperm whales.
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Jules Struck, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2023
In the video, the gray sperm whales are seen huddled together as orcas circle around them.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
The fact that the whale even approached the beach was a negative sign for some experts — according to the National Geographic, sperm whales are known to dive over 3,000 feet in search of squid to eat and generally live deep in the sea.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Many sperm whale dialects appear to contain a social-marker coda.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024
While sperm whales dive deep into the oceans to make meals out of giant squid, orcas occasionally punch above their weight, taking on blue whales (the largest animals to ever exist).
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023
If it’s defined by having the biggest brain, then sperm whales—whose noggins are a hefty 20 pounds—would be the brightest creatures on Earth.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
The follow-up to The Centre Cannot Hold mixes looped snatches of disfigured guitar riffs with field recordings, unsteady beats, buzz-saw synths, and sonar recordings of sperm whales, evoking a tectonic landscape that is thunderous yet oddly meditative.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 Mar. 2024
The world’s first marine reserve for sperm whales targets what’s known as the Eastern Caribbean Clan, whose members do not travel as far as most sperm whales and which uses the waters off the country’s coast as a critical feeding and nursing habitat.
—Jules Struck, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2023
Jules Struck, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2023
In the video, the gray sperm whales are seen huddled together as orcas circle around them.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
The fact that the whale even approached the beach was a negative sign for some experts — according to the National Geographic, sperm whales are known to dive over 3,000 feet in search of squid to eat and generally live deep in the sea.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Many sperm whale dialects appear to contain a social-marker coda.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024
While sperm whales dive deep into the oceans to make meals out of giant squid, orcas occasionally punch above their weight, taking on blue whales (the largest animals to ever exist).
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023
If it’s defined by having the biggest brain, then sperm whales—whose noggins are a hefty 20 pounds—would be the brightest creatures on Earth.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
The follow-up to The Centre Cannot Hold mixes looped snatches of disfigured guitar riffs with field recordings, unsteady beats, buzz-saw synths, and sonar recordings of sperm whales, evoking a tectonic landscape that is thunderous yet oddly meditative.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 Mar. 2024
The world’s first marine reserve for sperm whales targets what’s known as the Eastern Caribbean Clan, whose members do not travel as far as most sperm whales and which uses the waters off the country’s coast as a critical feeding and nursing habitat.
—Jules Struck, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sperm whale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Sperm whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sperm%20whale. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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