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whales 1 of 2

noun

plural of whale
as in dinosaurs
something that is unusually large and powerful a whale of a pickup truck

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whales

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of whale
1
as in hits
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

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2
as in hides
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible whaled the rug with a broom to knock the dirt out of it

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3
as in pounds
to strike repeatedly mercilessly whaled the pickpocket for stealing from her purse

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whales
Noun
Rather than insisting that these whales continue with their life, which is a human decision, perhaps they should be allowed to die gracefully and respectfully on their own. — Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026 The Canadian government signed off on a last-minute agreement to move its last captive whales out of the country earlier this year, saving them from euthanasia. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026 Marine life thrives around the islands — 27 species of whales and dolphins live or pass through the area, along with elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions, California brown pelicans and rare seabirds like the Scripps’ murrelet. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
Killer whales off New England The aquarium says killer whale sightings are uncommon in New England waters. — Neal Riley, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whales
  1. dinosaurs
  2. hits
  3. hides
  4. pounds
  5. giants
  6. punches
  7. whips
  8. licks
Noun
  • Its discovery adds to our understanding of one of the world’s premier fossil deposits and what life in Illinois looked like even before dinosaurs.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Scientists have unearthed only a handful of tracks from other dinosaurs in the wider Hell Creek Formation.
    — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of dinosaurs
Verb
  • Mookie Betts hits three doubles and the Dodgers surge for 15 hits to overcome a shaky start by Tarik Skubal in a 10-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • When a big storm hits the northern Sierra, the Feather River’s runoff lands in Lake Oroville, behind the nation’s tallest dam, and the Yuba’s lands in New Bullards Bar.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of hits
Verb
  • Rank buildings by attrition instead of averaging across the district because the average is exactly what hides a building in crisis.
    — Kellie Lauth, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Along the way, Bryan gets bit by a zombie but hides the wound, which slowly infects him.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • Higher prices come as Ukraine pounds Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Part of the problem is that every summer, water pounds down on sidewalks in the Treasure Valley, drops rippling on glassy reflective surfaces, all because of sprinkler jets overshooting the grass and landing on pavement.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of pounds
Noun
  • Ruddy failed to foil the Nexstar-Tegna combination or to get a $250 million compensation fund included in an FTC settlement over an advertising-giants merger.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The timing of the tech giants' flagship releases, days ahead of the summit, has revived debate over whether China's AI industry has hit an inflection point.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of giants
Verb
  • The kitchen, meanwhile, is the most impressive part of the house and really punches above its weight for such a compact model.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The movie never punches for laughs, and the filmmakers are amazingly assured in their subtle style and their meticulous attention to detail.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of punches
Verb
  • Bertha whips Bridget for inspiring uncomfortable feelings in her.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.
    — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of licks

Browse Nearby Words

whalers
whales
whaling
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Cite this Entry

“Whales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whales. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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