blue whale

noun

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of blue whale

: 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

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Recent Examples of blue whale from the Web

The blue whale, with a population that inhabits the waters from Santa Barbara north to Monterey, is highly endangered with only 10,000 individuals left.

— NBC News, "California claims bias after Florida's exempted from Trump's offshore drilling plan," 7 Apr. 2018
In Joyce Wan’s 2015 picture book, The Whale in My Swimming Pool, a large and very round blue whale sits on top of a boy’s tiny play pool, spouting water out of its blowhole.

— claire eamer, Smithsonian, "How Children’s Books Reveal Our Evolving Relationship With Whales," 27 Mar. 2018
Killer whales have been documented carrying out skilled and well-planned attacks on much larger animals like blue whales and bowhead whales.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "First Case of Orca Infanticide Observed," 22 Mar. 2018
In late summer and fall, on 37 trips with the Oceanic Society, naturalists verified sightings of 232 blue whales (six per trip) and 825 humpback whales (22 per trip), the highest on record for its public whale watching trips.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Whale of a time for whale watching," 7 Jan. 2018
The fin whale, whose body is long and slender, is the second-largest mammalian on Earth after the blue whale.

— david caraccio, sacbee, "Watch fin whales feeding off California coast next to small boat | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Jan. 2018
At Southeast Farallon Island, marine biologists from Point Blue Conservation, perched at a lookout, had the highest verified whale sightings on June 26: 216 humpback whales, 14 blue whales and 18 whales that were unidentified.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Whale of a time for whale watching," 7 Jan. 2018
In 2015, a 78-foot blue whale washed up dead on the Oregon coast, astonishing visitors and marine biologists alike.

— OregonLive.com, "13 whales you can see in the Pacific Northwest, and how to identify them," 21 Dec. 2017
By Caleb Scharf What do a common cold-causing virus, an adult blue whale and the red supergiant star Betelgeuse have in common?

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "What to Read in December," 10 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blue whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of blue whale

First Known Use of blue whale

1851

BLUE WHALE Defined for English Language Learners

blue whale

noun

Definition of blue whale for English Language Learners

: a very large bluish-gray whale

BLUE WHALE Defined for Kids

blue whale

noun

Definition of blue whale for Students

: a very large whale that is generally considered the largest living animal

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blue whale

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blue whale

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blue whale

Definition of blue whale for English Language Learners

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