baleen whale

noun

: any of a suborder (Mysticeti) of usually large whales typically of colder waters that lack teeth but have baleen plates in the upper jaw which are used to filter chiefly small crustaceans (such as krill) out of large quantities of seawater see fin whale, gray whale, humpback whale, right whale, rorqual compare toothed whale

Examples of baleen whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh up to 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. —Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 6 Jan. 2025

Some baleen whale species are capable of evading orcas — their only known predators — by using stealth-like communication, according to new research. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2025

To monitor and track these baleen whales, scientists deploy underwater microphones called hydrophones. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2025

According to the team, these findings indicate that seasonal and yearly changes to the amount of baleen whale song might mirror changes in the local food web. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for baleen whale

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

Kids Definition

baleen whale

noun

: any of various usually large whales lacking teeth but having baleen for filtering small ocean animals (as krill) out of seawater compare toothed whale