fin whale

noun

Definition of fin whale

: a baleen whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that may attain a length of over 70 feet (21 meters) and is found chiefly in subtropical to arctic and antarctic waters worldwide

— called also finback

Examples of fin whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since then, researchers have found other species of whale that sing, including blue whales, fin whales and minke whales. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Listen to the First Known Song of the North Pacific Right Whale," 24 June 2019 All cellular species, from E. coli to fin whales, have a core set of genes in common. — Quanta Magazine, "Scientists Map 5,000 New Ocean Viruses," 21 May 2015 Most whale populations have not yet been recovered, including larger whales such as blue whales, fin whales and sei whales. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Japan will resume commercial whaling in July after a 30-year break," 9 June 2019 Paleontologist Cheng-Hsiu Tsai of the National Taiwan University described the sparse remains of what was likely the second-largest fossil whale found so far, a fin whale from California. — National Geographic, "Fossil of 85-foot blue whale is largest ever discovered," 30 Apr. 2019 The fin whale sprawled at my feet will enter the annals of science, but will see little ceremony beyond that. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "The Messy, Malodorous Mystery of the Dead 60-Foot Whale," 31 May 2018 Someone reported it beached on May 18, two days after NOAA got word of a ship entering San Francisco Bay with yet another fin whale draped across its bow. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "The Messy, Malodorous Mystery of the Dead 60-Foot Whale," 31 May 2018 This fin whale was a victim of the Bay Area’s bustling commerce, ships steaming through the Golden Gate with little regard for our ocean-going mammalian relatives. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "The Messy, Malodorous Mystery of the Dead 60-Foot Whale," 31 May 2018 The latest counts put the region's fin whale population at 40,000. — Fox News, "Iceland company to resume commercial hunting of fin whales," 17 Apr. 2018

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about fin whale

Dictionary Entries near fin whale

Statistics for fin whale

Last Updated

30 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for fin whale

The first known use of fin whale was in 1885

See more words from the same year

Comments on fin whale

What made you want to look up fin whale? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

speculate

to form ideas or theories about something

Test Your Vocabulary

Farm Idioms Quiz

What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ