walrus

noun

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wal·rus | \ ˈwȯl-rəs

, ˈwäl- \

plural walrus or walruses

Definition of walrus

: a large gregarious marine mammal (Odobenus rosmarus of the family Odobenidae) of arctic waters related to the seals that has limbs modified into webbed flippers, long ivory tusks, a tough wrinkled hide, stiff whiskers, and a thick layer of blubber

Note: The male walrus may reach a weight of over 3700 pounds (1678 kilograms). Walrus typically inhabit moving pack ice and usually feed on organisms (such as clams and mussels) living on or near the ocean's bottom. Walrus of the northern Atlantic are considered a separate subspecies (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) from the somewhat larger northern Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens).

Examples of walrus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web A few minutes later, a jovial walrus of a man with a massive potbelly, impressive jowls, and a thick gray mustache pulled up in a golf cart. — Mark Synnott, Wired, "Here’s What It Takes to Fly a Drone on Mount Everest," 13 Apr. 2021 Earlier this month, a walrus was spotted on the western shore of Ireland, a very rare sight. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, "This Walrus Fell Asleep on an Iceberg and Woke Up in Ireland," 16 Mar. 2021 An Inuit and his family visit a trading post, spear fish, catch a walrus, and build an igloo. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘The Searchers’; ‘Forrest Gump’," 12 Mar. 2021 So too is the Old Ebbitt Grill at 675 15th Street, N.W., a walrus platter throw from the new un-scalable fencing going up. — Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, "As nation votes, the Pentagon awaits new marching orders," 3 Nov. 2020 Whale and walrus are among the primary stocks harvested for food; the nearest hospital is more than 100 miles away in Nome. — Washington Post, "Covid had spared Alaska’s most remote villages. Not anymore.," 30 Oct. 2020 For a complete rundown of current B&C world-record animals, from American elk to Atlantic walrus, check out the B&C World’s Record Gallery here. — Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, "The 10 Biggest World Record Elk," 7 Aug. 2020 The Sienna doesn’t handle like a walrus anymore, flipping and flopping around winding roads. — cleveland, "Toyota Sienna AWD: It’s all the SUV most of us need," 7 Mar. 2020 No walruses were harmed, according to the Northern Fleet. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Walrus attacks Russian Navy, sinking inflatable boat," 23 Sep. 2019

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

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Last Updated

21 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Walrus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walrus. Accessed 14 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for walrus

walrus

noun

English Language Learners Definition of walrus

: a large animal that lives on land and in the sea in northern regions and that has flippers and long tusks

See the full definition for walrus in the English Language Learners Dictionary

walrus

noun

wal·rus | \ ˈwȯl-rəs

Kids Definition of walrus

: a large animal of northern seas that is related to the seal and has long ivory tusks, a tough wrinkled hide, and flippers used in swimming, diving, and moving about on land