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

Colossal baby squid In 1925, scientists first described the colossal squid in a scientific paper, based on the discovery of arm fragments in the belly of a sperm whale. —ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025

Colossal defends its science amid critics A surprising lesson from Antarctica: Life flourishes even under 500 feet of ice South Carolina man pleads guilty to illegally selling sperm whale teeth and bones Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025

Zoologists based their initial description of the animal on its remains found in the stomach of a sperm whale in 1925. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025

The reason for this is that sperm whales tend to spend their lives in deeper parts of the ocean. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 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