whale

1 of 3

noun

plural whales
often attributive
1
or plural whale : any of various very large, aquatic, marine mammals (order Cetacea) that have a torpedo-shaped body with a thick layer of blubber, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, a horizontally flattened tail, and nostrils that open externally at the top of the head
2
: one that is impressive especially in size
a whale of a difference
a whale of a good time
whalelike adjective

whale

2 of 3

verb (1)

whaled; whaling

intransitive verb

: to engage in whale fishing

whale

3 of 3

verb (2)

whaled; whaling

transitive verb

1
2
: to strike or hit vigorously
3
: to defeat soundly

Examples of whale in a Sentence

Noun a whale of a pickup truck
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Who will protect the turtles, whales and fish crossing borders into cooler waters? Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023 Researchers observed polar bears and grizzlies at the site of a beached whale carcass and found the polar bears to walk away when challenged. Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 6 Sep. 2023 Either the whale dove at the last minute or the recording device slipped off the whale’s back and had to be fished out of the water. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023 The site where Stallworth and Gentry discovered the whale skull was on a swath of land owned by the teenager’s family for timber. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023 The whale, whose name was changed to Toki, had been experiencing signs of distress from what the aquarium's medical staff believed was a renal condition according to social media posts at the time of the whale's death. James Powel, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023 Jonah and the whale (of a slump breaker) A couple of days off did, in fact, seem to do Jonah Heim some good. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 27 Aug. 2023 After sneaking aboard Thrawn’s ship, Ezra summoned a hyperspace-hopping space whale called a Purrgil to latch onto the ship and shoot them both into deep space. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 22 Aug. 2023 The officers Monday made sure that boaters were keeping their distance and complying when whales were spotted, and handed out information that’s aligned with guidelines set by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association on what to do when whales are spotted, Burney said. Breanne Kovatch, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hwæl; akin to Old High German hwal whale and perhaps to Latin squalus sea fish

Verb (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1700, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whale was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near whale

Cite this Entry

“Whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whale. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

whale

1 of 3 noun
ˈhwā(ə)l How to pronounce whale (audio)
ˈwā(ə)l
plural whales or whale
1
: a water-dwelling mammal (as a humpback whale or a killer whale) that is a cetacean of usually very large size with a torpedo-shaped body, front limbs modified into flippers but no hind limbs, and a tail flattened and extended to the sides as flukes and that usually breathes through an opening on top of the head compare baleen whale, toothed whale
2
: something large enough to catch attention
it made a whale of a difference

whale

2 of 3 verb
whaled; whaling
: to hunt whales

whale

3 of 3 verb
whaled; whaling
1
2
: to hit hard
whaled the ball
Etymology

Noun

Old English hwæl "whale"

Verb

origin unknown

More from Merriam-Webster on whale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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