sperm whale

noun

ˈspərm- 

: a very large toothed whale (Physeter macrocephalus synonym P. catodon) that has large conical teeth in the lower jaw, a single blowhole, and a massive squarish head with a closed cavity containing a fluid mixture of spermaceti and oil, and that may reach a length in the male of nearly 60 feet (18.3 meters)

Illustration of sperm whale

Examples of sperm whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to The Nantucket Current, this is the first sperm whale to wash ashore on the island since 2002. —Neal Riley, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025

For example, the i vowel can be long or short in sperm whale vocalizations, similar to how some languages have long or short vowels. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Nov. 2025

Visit the world's first sperm whale reserve in an underrated Caribbean destination. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

How does Ishmael, in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, carry me through his pages-long descriptions of the weird gunk inside a sperm whale’s head? —Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for spermaceti whale

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sperm whale

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

Kids Definition

sperm whale

noun

: a large toothed whale with a large chamber in the skull that contains a fluid mixture of spermaceti and oil