blue whale

noun

: a very large baleen whale (Balaenoptera musculus synonym Sibbaldus musculus) that may reach a weight of 150 tons (136 metric tons) and a length of 100 feet (30 meters) and is generally considered the largest living animal

Illustration of blue whale

Examples of blue whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout the day, groups spotted 3 blue whales, 42 humpback whales and 47 Risso’s dolphins, boaters said. —Paloma Chavez july 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2025

Scheer’s photos include an orca and its calf, a blue whale tail, a baby humpback whale and a humpback tail at sunset. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2025

Related Articles California teacher dies after she was bitten by a bat inside a classroom Leaping humpbacks, unseasonal blue whales, dolphin super pods offering action on California coast Should Bay Area birdwatchers take down their feeders to avoid avian flu? —Richard Halstead, The Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2024

An Antarctic blue whale, for example, is a sentient being with its own thoughts and emotions. —Madison Dapcevich, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blue whale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

blue whale

noun

: a whale that may reach a weight of 150 tons (135 metric tons) and a length of 100 feet (30 meters) and is generally considered the largest living animal