SINCE 1828
humpback whale
nounDefinition of humpback whale
: a large baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that is black above and white below and has very long flippers, and fleshy tubercles along the snout
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Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence
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Milwaukee When the Trump administration announced a plan last week to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, the frantic reactions were illustrated with pictures of humpback whales and baby bald eagles. — Cori Petersen, WSJ, "Wolves Attack Wisconsin With Washington’s Help," 27 July 2018 Jane finds her son in his bed, its pillows decorated with humpback whales, its frame painted with a soccer ball—a setting full of the cheerful iconography of a kid’s refuge. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "‘Giving You Salt’: The Most Powerful Moment on Big Little Lies So Far," 17 June 2019 These boat trips bring passengers close to humpback whales migrating south to the bay during the winter months. — Mark Rogers, USA TODAY, "New Mexico hot spot: Riviera Nayarit caters to families with new resorts and attractions," 4 June 2019 Incidents like the collision Tuesday between a Washington state ferry and a juvenile humpback whale are likely to be repeated because whale migrations and ship traffic in the Salish Sea are both increasing, a veteran scientist predicts. — Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times, "Whale-ferry collision in Seattle’s Elliott Bay a byproduct of humpback revival, and could become more common," 30 May 2019 Over the course of two weeks in 2016, another dead humpback whale kept threatening to wash ashore. — Priscella Vega, latimes.com, "‘It’s something you really hate to see’ — dead whale gets a sandy burial after washing ashore in Huntington Beach," 5 June 2019 On the horizon, seals peeked out of the water, and a humpback whale swam by with her calf. — Susan Shain, The Atlantic, "When Your Final Exam Is Surviving the Wilderness," 5 June 2019 Pods of orcas and humpback whales are common sights. — Melanie Kirkpatrick, WSJ, "Cold, Windy Bliss on a Salmon Fishing Trip," 9 Aug. 2018 The humpback whale was struck by a ship and killed recently, according to authorities. — Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, "Whale killed by ship near Neah Bay now a harvest celebration as Makah Nation prepares feast," 24 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'humpback whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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