whaling

noun

whal·​ing ˈ(h)wā-liŋ How to pronounce whaling (audio)
: the occupation of catching and extracting commercial products from whales

Examples of whaling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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When extrapolated to the size of the American whaling fleet of seven hundred and thirty-five ships in 1846 and a worldwide fleet of 900, the result is a prodigious tangle of rope. Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025 The Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972 with bipartisan support and was implemented following 150 years of industrial whaling, where some whale populations had fallen to 5 percent or less of their historical estimates. Ryan Green, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025 The Whaling Museum offers a stunning look into the 18th-century whaling industry that shaped Nantucket’s foundation, complete with a 46-foot skeleton of a sperm whale. New York Times, 31 July 2025 The humpback whale population has made a significant comeback since the end of commercial whaling in 1985, NOAA says, but the species still faces threats from fishing gear, vessel strikes, vessel harassment and overall ocean noise. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for whaling

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whaling was in 1688

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Cite this Entry

“Whaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whaling. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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