right whale

noun

: 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

Illustration of right whale

Examples of right whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scores of the calf carcasses have been washing ashore around Peninsula Valdes, a major breeding ground for southern right whales in Argentina’s Chubut province. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Hunting is not the primary threat today to the Florida panther, the North Atlantic right whale or the monarch butterfly. — Timothy Randhir, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Boaters are being urged to keep a safe distance of at least 100 to 600 feet from humpback whales — and at least 1,500 feet from endangered North Atlantic right whales, as required by federal law. — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026

His grandfather ran across great white sharks; his father, orcas; Hubbard himself has crossed paths with pilot whales, a right whale and one of the largest leatherback turtles he's ever seen. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for right whale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

right whale

noun

: a large baleen whale with no fin on the back, a very large head, and small eyes near the lower part of the mouth