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

The film is about a scuba diver who is swallowed by a sperm whale. —Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Aug. 2025

The Whaling Museum offers a stunning look into the 18th-century whaling industry that shaped Nantucket’s foundation, complete with a 46-foot skeleton of a sperm whale. —New York Times, 31 July 2025

Colossal defends its science amid critics Watch as elephants form a protective circle in San Diego after 5.2-magnitude earthquake South Carolina man pleads guilty to illegally selling sperm whale teeth and bones Cicada Brood XIV is coming. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2025

The Caribbean island of Dominica is home to resident sperm whales. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 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