Illustration of humpback whale
humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that is black above and white below and has very long flippers, and fleshy tubercles along the snout
Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Divers off the coast of Mexico recently tried to free a humpback whale wrapped up in fishing gear — with a shark in tow, video shows.
—
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025
Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
Some humpback whales are born in warmer waters.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2025
Keep an eye out for breaching humpback whales (usually from December to May) and pods of spinner dolphins that might swim alongside the boat.
—Rachel Ng, AFAR Media, 7 May 2025
The scientists gathered the baby humpback whale sightings from a variety of sources, including migration surveys, stranding reports and citizen science observations from tourism boats.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for humpback whale
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025
Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
Some humpback whales are born in warmer waters.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2025
Keep an eye out for breaching humpback whales (usually from December to May) and pods of spinner dolphins that might swim alongside the boat.
—Rachel Ng, AFAR Media, 7 May 2025
The scientists gathered the baby humpback whale sightings from a variety of sources, including migration surveys, stranding reports and citizen science observations from tourism boats.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for humpback whale
Cite this Entry
“Humpback whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humpback%20whale. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share