SINCE 1828
pectoral fin
nounDefinition of pectoral fin
: either of the fins of a fish that correspond to the forelimbs of a quadruped
Examples of pectoral fin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Its top portion was a marine blue, and the pectoral fins were wide and long. — William Mckeever, BostonGlobe.com, "Summer on the Cape means shark panic. But what if we embraced these majestic fish, instead of pushing them away?," 3 July 2019 But not just any fish—a lionfish, which has elaborate dorsal and pectoral fins and can perform displays using them. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Researchers make a robotic fish with a battery for blood," 19 June 2019 The pectoral fins work in the same way to steer the fish left and right. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "This Robot Fish Powers Itself With Fake Blood," 19 June 2019 Our hands came from the forelimbs of land vertebrates, which derived from the pectoral fins of fish. — Frans De Waal, Discover Magazine, "Cheerful Chimps: Are Animals Really Happy When They Smile?," 31 May 2019 Cownose rays have a unique feature: long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads. — The Kansas City Zoo, kansascity, "New Stingray Bay Touch Tank Exhibit Now Open at KC Zoo (Sponsored)," 27 June 2018 These relationships are so tight, in fact, that the males spend a lot of time caressing each other with their pectoral fins. — Jason Bittel, National Geographic, "Why Male Dolphin Buddies 'Hold Hands'," 7 June 2018 Gallagher said the croc seemed relatively unphased by the interaction, crawling onto the pectoral fin between feeding bouts. — Jennifer Earl, Fox News, "Sharks, crocodile spotted feasting on whale in 'rare' drone video," 26 Apr. 2018 Over and over again, the dolphin pushed a newborn calf, almost certainly her own, away from the observers' boat and against the current with her snout and pectoral fins. — Barbara J. King, Scientific American, "Humans Are Not the Only Creatures Who Mourn," 23 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pectoral fin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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