as in kid
a young person who is between infancy and adulthood
playtime's over, it's time to gather up the whelps and head home
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Recent Examples of whelp
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
The alpha male was a foster, and his mate whelped — or gave birth — during the same week, making the pack an ideal candidate to receive pups.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2024
Given its importance as one of two Northwest Atlantic harp seal whelping grounds, the area is one of Nat Geo’s Best Trips for 2020.
—Jennifer Hayes, National Geographic, 19 Dec. 2019
And from Susan’s line, the queen’s breeding program at the Kennels of Windsor whelped hundreds of corgi puppies.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2018
From the queen's breeding program at the Kennels of Windsor, hundreds of royal corgis have been whelped.
—William Booth, chicagotribune.com, 18 Apr. 2018
Noun
Unlikely Meathead, a whelp who spoke from a position of occasionally whiny, frequently wet-behind-the-ears insulation from life’s realities, Reiner had gray in his beard and a lengthy track record of using his podium for good.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
Owners can help the process by giving them a whelping box.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
The alpha male was a foster, and his mate whelped — or gave birth — during the same week, making the pack an ideal candidate to receive pups.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2024
Given its importance as one of two Northwest Atlantic harp seal whelping grounds, the area is one of Nat Geo’s Best Trips for 2020.
—Jennifer Hayes, National Geographic, 19 Dec. 2019
And from Susan’s line, the queen’s breeding program at the Kennels of Windsor whelped hundreds of corgi puppies.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2018
From the queen's breeding program at the Kennels of Windsor, hundreds of royal corgis have been whelped.
—William Booth, chicagotribune.com, 18 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whelp
Noun
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School kids arrived on field trips and groups lined up for exhibitions, taking the escalators up past the abstract artist Julie Mehretu’s vibrant, 83-foot-tall vertical window.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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Bell-to-bell phone bans are among the strategies proposed in a new Surgeon General's advisory warning of the threat excessive screen time can pose to kids.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Whether a minor or an adult, that child has lost a parent and has a right to mourn and needs the mother to be there.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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More strikes were reported in southern Lebanon earlier today, with the country’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reporting that civil defense teams recovered the bodies of four people, including children, after an airstrike hit a residential house in the town of Adloun.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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There are several Nick Cannons — the TV host, the actor, the occasional hip-hop artist, the penitent, and, perhaps the most famous Cannon, the fertile father of 12 who sired five children in 2022 alone.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
13 May 2026
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Bowie sired a calf there in June 2025, making Fort Worth Zoo’s oldest elephant Rasha a great-grandmother and the matriarch of four generations.—
Harriet Ramos
May 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Over several days in the country, the trip — Stefano Ricci’s ninth — spanned the Tarangire region guarded by the Maasai, and the Serengeti national park with its rich wildlife, including leopards and families of lions and lionesses and their cubs appearing in campaign imagery.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
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The six-month-old cub's unexplained presence in New York's largest urban green space gave rise to a 10-year mystery.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Extra food for me, my partner, and pup too.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
30 May 2026
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Among female sea otters, motherhood is particularly taxing, as energy requirements double during pregnancy, lactation, and pup care.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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It's been reported that a motivating factor in Princess Anne finally making the split official was the discovery that her husband had fathered another child years earlier.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
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Shi was also alleged to have committed criminal offenses and violated Buddhist precepts by maintaining relationships with multiple women over a long period and fathering at least one child, according to a notice from the temple’s authority on its WeChat account at that time.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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This month, Rylan was surprised by Make-A-Wish with his new ragdoll kitten Momo, which means peach in Japanese.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
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Lisa Newton, who manages cat and kitten rescue for Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue, explained just how hidden the kittens were.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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War begetting still more war, like some deranged biblical prophecy.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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After the unremarkable Chip Kelly recruiting era, which begat a slight bump under DeShaun Foster, what first-year coach Bob Chesney has done, before coaching a game, has been downright remarkable.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whelp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelp. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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