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

The aquarium estimates that around 380 North Atlantic right whales remain. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026

The 2027 North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) baby season has officially begun. — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2026

When a pattern of warming waters hit the Gulf of Maine in the early 2010s, right whales started to abandon their feeding grounds. — Ryan Green, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026

Some have said the industry needs to be monitored more closely to protect rare North Atlantic right whales, which are vulnerable to getting entangled in fishing gear. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 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