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

Illustration of humpback whale

Illustration of humpback whale

Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The correspondent then takes viewers to Coiba National Park, which lies 15 miles on an island off the coast of Panama and is now in the middle of the world’s largest shark and humpback whale superhighways. Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025 The act was instrumental in protecting the humpback whale, one of the species most beloved by whale watchers, said Gib Brogan, senior campaign director with Oceana. Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025 Over the course of a few months, around 40,000 humpback whales will swim down the eastern coast of Australia on their way to Antarctica, traveling more than 3,000 miles. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025 Earlier in the premiere, the 118 rescues hot-shot billionaire Tripp Houser (Riverdale’s Mark Consuelos) from the mouth of a humpback whale — which just skyrocketed to the top of our list of reasons to never go kayaking. Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for humpback whale

Word History

First Known Use

1726, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of humpback whale was in 1726

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Humpback whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humpback%20whale. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

humpback whale

noun
: a large baleen whale that is black above and white below and has very long flippers

More from Merriam-Webster on humpback whale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!