humpback

noun

hump·back ˈhəmp-ˌbak

for sense 1 also -ˈbak

plural humpbacks

: a humped or crooked back

also : kyphosis

dated, offensive : a person with a humpback

: humpback whale

: pink salmon

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web One of the most important aspects of the string of whale deaths to note is that humpback whales, which have made up a majority of the recent events, have been undergoing an unusual mortality event since 2016. —

Li Cohen, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2023 On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, two humpback whales were found dead in December. —

Wayne Parry, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2023 Bigg’s killer whales and humpback whales were particularly plentiful in the waters of British Columbia and Washington in 2022. —

oregonlive, 16 Jan. 2023 The dead whale reported Friday was found just miles from where two other humpback whales had washed up in Atlantic City in recent weeks, officials said. —

Breanne Deppisch, Washington Examiner, 13 Jan. 2023 Earlier this week, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said that preliminary results of a necropsy indicate that the most recent whale that washed ashore, a 32-foot humpback, had been hit by a ship. —

Jeremy Beaman, Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2023 On humpback, you will be delivered to a nearby argan oil cooperative for breakfast and a tour before remounting your steed and taking in some startlingly serene views. —

Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Nov. 2022 The water boiled with activity, with dozens of small fish jumping from the sea, before the humpback's head emerged next to the duo's small boat. —

Dennis Romero, NBC News, 15 Oct. 2022 Ironically, this collaboration, which may have lasted for thousands of years and was still ongoing in the 19th century, saw orca pods herding humpback and right whales toward their doom. —

Richard Lea, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 See More

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