whaling

noun

whal·​ing ˈ(h)wā-liŋ 

: the occupation of catching and extracting commercial products from whales

Examples of whaling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Greenland and America have been through a lot together, and the bonds forged from the commercial whaling and polar exploration days of the 19th century through World War II and the Cold War run deep. —Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026

In the 1700s, Dutch settlers arrived at Kalk Bay, and it was later occupied by British colonists who turned it into a major whaling center. —Kate Bartlett, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026

California shut down the nation’s last whaling station in 1971. —David Helvarg, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026

Although commercial whaling once pushed the species to the brink of extinction, fin whale populations in the Atlantic have shown signs of recovery in recent decades following international bans and protections under laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing whaling

• anti-whaling

Rhymes for whaling

• ailing
• bailing
• baling
• failing
• flailing
• grayling
• hailing
• jailing
• mailing
• nailing
• paling
• railing