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

My accommodation, Lizard Island Resort, a remote property on the reef’s northern fringes, put me right near the path of the dwarf minke whale migration. —Stephanie Vermillion, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2025

Musk oxen can be shot from snowmobiles, narwhals and minke whales from speedboats. —Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

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

Throughout the day, groups got the chance to see common dolphins, a minke whale, and sea lions, the group said. —Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 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