minke whale

noun

min·​ke whale ˈmiŋ-kə- 

variants or less commonly minke

: a small gray to black baleen whale (genus Balaenoptera) with a whitish underside and a relatively narrow, pointed snout:

a

: one (B. acutorostrata) chiefly of the northern hemisphere

called also common minke whale, northern minke whale

b

: one (B. bonaerensis) of the southern hemisphere that was formerly classified in the same species as the northern form

called also Antarctic minke, southern minke whale

see rorqual

Illustration of minke whale

Examples of minke whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this month, a boat in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, struck a 26-foot-long minke whale that ventured into shallow waters. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

After sailing across the Bay of Biscay to Santander — with opportunities to spot fin and minke whales, dolphins and shearwaters — the group will travel inland to the Cantabrian Mountains to visit Las Loras Geopark and Palentina Mountain Natural Park. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 4 July 2025

Head out onto the water to sail around the archipelago, keeping your eyes peeled for breaching minke whales and bearded seals, as well as shaggy muskoxen—one of the few megafauna to survive the Ice Age—and Arctic wolves patrolling the shoreline. —Chloe Berge, Outside Online, 17 June 2025

The minke whale was found offshore near the city of Emeryville on April 7 in poor health, with skin peeling and a reddish hue across its back due to severe sunburn. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of Norwegian minkehval, from minke- (perhaps from Meincke, a crewman of Svend Foyn †1894 Norwegian whaler) + hval whale

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for minke whale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale