toothed whale

noun \ ˈtütht- , ˈtü-thəd- \

Definition of toothed whale

: any of a suborder (Odontoceti) of cetaceans (such as a dolphin, porpoise, or killer whale) bearing usually numerous simple conical teeth — compare baleen whale

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Recent Examples of toothed whale from the Web

Since the beached animal is believed to be a rare saber-toothed whale, the incident is all the more thrilling.

— rebecca deczynski, Woman's Day, "Rare Saber-Toothed Whale Beached on Southern California Coast," 18 Oct. 2013
Large marine mammals — such as toothed whales and seals — had not yet evolved so the only potential predators probably were sharks, Mayr said.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Big bird: Fossil of giant penguin discovered in New Zealand," 12 Dec. 2017
People gathered at a dozen stations along the Turnagain and Knik arms to try to catch a glimpse of the white, medium-sized, toothed whales.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Watching for whales during the Cook Inlet beluga count," 10 Sep. 2017
The feeding structure evolved stepwise some 30 million years ago when the oceans were full of toothed whales competing for limited food.

— jennifer s. holland, Smithsonian, "A Whale’s Baleen Bristles Reveal the Story of Its Life," 1 Sep. 2017
Seals, sea lions, and small toothed whales are known to be some of great white sharks' primary prey, but the study revealed scavenging may be a significant source of their diet.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "Watch a Great White Shark Binge Eat a Whale Carcass," 3 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'toothed whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.