humpback

noun

hump·​back ˈhəmp-ˌbak 

for sense 1 also

-ˈbak 

plural humpbacks

1

: a humped or crooked back

also : kyphosis

2

dated, offensive : a person with a humpback

3

: humpback whale

4

: pink salmon

Examples of humpback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The humpback was caught on video spouting water while swimming close to shore. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

By 1985, some humpback populations had been reduced by over 95%, according to Shark Stewards, a nonprofit. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Most of the government attention to this problem in recent years has been on protecting Grand Canyon’s native humpback chubs from warm-water predators that slipped through the dam’s turbines from Lake Powell. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Winter also brings memorable encounters with whales across Australia, including swimming with dwarf minke whales along the Great Barrier Reef from June through July and spotting migrating humpbacks along the east coast from May through October. — Stuart Rigg, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for humpback

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

Kids Definition

humpback

noun

hump·​back ˈhəmp-ˌbak 

1

: a humped or crooked back

2

: hunchback sense 1

3

: humpback whale

humpbacked

-ˈbakt

adjective

Medical Definition

humpback

noun

hump·​back

-ˌbak, for 1 also -ˈbak

: a humped or crooked back

also : kyphosis

humpbacked

-ˈbakt 

adjective