walrus

noun wal·rus \ ˈwȯl-rəs , ˈwäl- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of walrus

plural walrus or walruses

: 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).

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Recent Examples of walrus from the Web

For thousands of years before then, Arctic people survived by hunting seals, caribou, and walruses at the edge of the sea ice.

— krista langlois, Smithsonian, "Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures Who Talk to Whales," 6 Apr. 2018
Emily Jeffers, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said walruses need sea ice for far more than foraging.

— dan joling, The Seattle Times, "Lawsuit filed after U.S. fails to list walruses as threatened," 19 Mar. 2018
Emily Jeffers, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said walruses need sea ice for far more than foraging.

— dan joling, BostonGlobe.com, "Lawsuit filed after US fails to list walruses as threatened," 8 Mar. 2018
On April 9th Mr Bolton, whose walrus moustache and verbal bluster mask a skilled and ruthless bureaucratic infighter, becomes Mr Trump’s national security adviser.

— The Economist, "Scrapping the Iran nuclear deal will harm America," 28 Mar. 2018
Jeffers, however, said walruses need sea ice for more than foraging.

— dan joling, Fox News, "Lawsuit filed after US fails to list walruses as threatened," 8 Mar. 2018
Less sea ice in recent years has led to reduced spring walrus harvests in Gambell and other communities, prompting villages to declare economic disasters in 2013 and 2015 that led to food donations.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Warm storms pummel Bering Sea, leading to ‘crazy’ ice melt-off," 28 Feb. 2018
Yet at the end of their 15-day voyage, described in a historical text, the Vikings would arrive at the beaches of what is now called Disko Bay, where the walruses haul themselves out of the water to mate and rest.

— zach zorich, Scientific American, "Whatever Happened to the Greenland Vikings?," 23 June 2017
This area is known as a vital feeding and nursery ground for many Arctic species of both ecological and Inuit cultural significance, including whales, seabirds, polar bears, seals and walruses.

— Smithsonian, "The World’s Most Ancient, Elusive Sharks Were Finally Caught on Video," 2 Mar. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of walrus

Dutch, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish & Norwegian hvalros walrus, Old Norse rosmhvalr

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First Known Use: 1728

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WALRUS Defined for English Language Learners

walrus

noun

Definition of walrus for English Language Learners

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

WALRUS Defined for Kids

walrus

noun wal·rus \ ˈwȯl-rəs \

Definition of walrus for Students

: 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