humpback whale

noun

: a large baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that is black above and white below and has very long flippers and fleshy tubercles along the snout

Illustration of humpback whale

Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But sure enough, there was an adult humpback whale in the Sacramento River in front of the men, far from the open sea. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Northern Californians are expressing excitement about the rare sighting of a humpback whale in a delta about 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

An unexpected visitor has made its way into the Sacramento River, with an adult humpback whale traveling deep into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Enacted by Congress in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been credited with saving animals including the California condor, grizzly bear and humpback whale. — CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1726, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for humpback whale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

humpback whale

noun

: a large baleen whale that is black above and white below and has very long flippers