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

In the same area, a minke whale was spotted before a humpback whale and its baby was seen as boaters passed the harbor, the group said. —Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2025

Elevated viewpoints like the Point Reyes Lighthouse, the end of the Chimney Rock Trail and the Tomales Point Trail provide ideal vantage points for spotting migrating humpback, blue and fin whales, or the resident minke whales and orcas. —Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

There are about 900 minke whales off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California. —Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025

This includes pods of Gray, humpback, and minke whales as well as porpoises. —Jd Shadel, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2023

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