whale shark

noun

: a shark (Rhincodon typus) of warm waters that has small teeth, feeds chiefly on plankton strained by its gill rakers, may sometimes attain a length of up to 60 feet (18.3 meters), and is the largest known fish

Examples of whale shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gentle but massive whale sharks sometimes feed here too. —Johanna Read, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025

Sleeper sharks therefore may be more like whale sharks that can retract their eyeballs by more than 50% of the eye’s total diameter, McClatchy News previously reported. —Irene Wright july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025

McClain recalled working on a project to measure the length of whale sharks in the wild. —ArsTechnica, 21 June 2025

The waters here are home to spectacular marine wildlife, including humpback whales, manta rays, sea turtles, and one of the largest aggregations of whale sharks in the world, making this spot a Shangri-La for ocean lovers. —Chloe Berge, Outside Online, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whale shark

• disembark
• matriarch
• meadowlark
• patriarch
• watermark
• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark

Kids Definition

whale shark

noun

: a harmless shark of warm waters that feeds chiefly on plankton, may sometimes grow to a length of up to 60 feet (18.3 meters), and is the largest known fish