right whale

noun

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of right whale

: any of several large baleen whales (family Balaenidae and especially genus Eubalaena) that lack a dorsal fin and have very long baleen plates, an extremely large head with a V-shaped blowhole, a smooth throat, short, broad, rounded flippers, and whitish protuberances of thickened skin about the head

Recent Examples of right whale from the Web

Federal authorities have extended a ban on trap gear closures for part of Cape Cod Bay to reduce the risk of right whales becoming entangled in trap gear.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "TPW Commission reconsidering its approval of air-powered guns, bows," 6 May 2018
Last year, 17 right whales died — and that’s just those that researchers know of, Mayo said.

— laney ruckstuhl, BostonGlobe.com, "Vessels off Boston asked to slow down after right whale sightings," 3 May 2018
North Atlantic right whales are so strange-looking that early sailors sometimes took them for sea monsters.

— sarah kaplan, Washington Post, "These whales will be extinct in 25 years, scientists say — unless we act now to save them," 20 Apr. 2018
Scientists estimate only about 450 North Atlantic right whales remain, and the species suffered terribly in 2017.

— russ bynum, chicagotribune.com, "'Beginning of the end?' No new babies for endangered whales," 26 Mar. 2018
A century ago, humans had slaughtered nearly every right whale in the Atlantic.

— sarah kaplan, Washington Post, "These whales will be extinct in 25 years, scientists say — unless we act now to save them," 20 Apr. 2018
A century ago, humans had slaughtered nearly every right whale in the Atlantic.

— sarah kaplan, BostonGlobe.com, "N. Atlantic right whales will be extinct in 25 years, scientists say - unless we act now to save them," 20 Apr. 2018
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, there are less than 400 right whales left in the wild.

— laney ruckstuhl, BostonGlobe.com, "Onlookers flock to get a glimpse of endangered right whales off Marshfield," 23 Apr. 2018
For instance, the various right whales use skim-feeding, swimming with their mouths open at the surface to strain out prey.

— National Geographic, "Prehistoric Toothless Whale Among Oldest of Its Kind," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'right whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.