whale shark

noun

: a shark (Rhincodon typus) of warm waters that has small teeth, feeds chiefly on plankton strained by its gill rakers, may sometimes attain a length of up to 60 feet (18.3 meters), and is the largest known fish

Examples of whale shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a rare sighting, a whale shark was spotted between Malibu and Santa Barbara Island. — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Carl Sbarounis, who works as an aerial spotter for commercial fisheries, said a friend spotted the whale shark originally and alerted him, SF Gate reported. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2026

Families can also go boating to try and spot whale sharks and manatees in the lagoon or opt for less exciting but just as rewarding sunset cruises. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026

Whales, dolphins, dugongs, sea turtles, whale sharks and commercially important fish depend on the region. — Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whale shark

• disembark
• matriarch
• meadowlark
• patriarch
• watermark
• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark

Kids Definition

whale shark

noun

: a harmless shark of warm waters that feeds chiefly on plankton, may sometimes grow to a length of up to 60 feet (18.3 meters), and is the largest known fish