as in dinosaur
something that is unusually large and powerful
a whale of a pickup truck
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whaled the ball so hard that it sailed over the fence and into the neighbor's yard
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to hide
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
whaled the rug with a broom to knock the dirt out of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
mercilessly whaled the pickpocket for stealing from her purse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whale
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Two whales also washed up on local beaches, sickened by the toxin, a first in Southern California.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Malnourished and starving whales are also producing fewer offspring.
—David Helvarg, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026
But ultimately, Taylor and her diamond whale tail emerged victorious, and the actor delivered an emotional and spirited speech that is sure to stick with voters come Oscar time.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whale
Noun
The video, shared by ViralHog, shows a husband and wife kayaking near English Harbour in Newfoundland and Labrador when the massive whale unexpectedly rises from the water just feet away from them.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Two whales also washed up on local beaches, sickened by the toxin, a first in Southern California.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Malnourished and starving whales are also producing fewer offspring.
—David Helvarg, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026
But ultimately, Taylor and her diamond whale tail emerged victorious, and the actor delivered an emotional and spirited speech that is sure to stick with voters come Oscar time.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whale
Noun
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The Transformers-like toys resemble McDonald's food but can change into robots or dinosaurs.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
27 Jan. 2026
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Akin to Transformers, Changeables are toys that look like McDonald's menu items but can be reconfigured into figures that look like, for instance, robots or dinosaurs.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As my colleague Adam Serwer has written, many Minnesotans are engaging in protests and efforts to deliver food and supplies to families in hiding.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
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Asked whether the 2-0 derby defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 17 might have gone a different way had Diogo Dalot been red-carded in the 11th minute for a knee-high foul on Jeremy Doku, Guardiola was insistent that his Manchester City team could not hide behind the decision.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at the ecommerce giant, made the announcement Wednesday in a blog post of a message sent to company employees.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Joe Mazzulla tipped his cap to Patriots counterpart Mike Vrabel after New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl LX.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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For many, the surge in gold prices has punched a hole in their wedding budgets.—
Preeti Soni,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even then, though, leadership didn’t whip against the bill, which ultimately passed with seven Democrats voting in favor.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Russia has been pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hoping to wear down public resistance to the war while leaving many around the country having to endure the dead of winter without heat.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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For now, however, the first part of the season mostly succeeds at balancing power dynamics and pulse-pounding romance, with a major assist from the warm and hot chemistry between season leads Luke Thompson and series newbie Yerin Ha.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whale. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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