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
-
The bill would specifically forbid practices that Black Bear, the Stars and other companies have used to monopolize and vertically integrate the youth sports experience in hockey and beyond, driving up costs for families and pricing out many kids.—
Kenny Jacoby,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort also offers plenty of family-friendly activities, including lessons for kids and childcare services.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The technology could hollow out entire industries like software engineering, which had been investors’ golden child.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
-
In short, Esperanza does a good job of welcoming both families and adults without children in a seamless way.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Robusta, a Calumet Farm homebred sired by Accelerate, has only a maiden victory from five career starts.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Wildlife authorities killed a female bear and two cubs in response to Dahl's death.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 May 2026
-
Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Big Lake Humane Society pup Shishi also will compete for Team Ruff, while Mia Muffin is on Team Fluff.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After that ended in an annulment, Paschel went on to wed three more times (in 1998, 2007 and 2015) and fathered at least four children, including his late son Kazhem, who died in March 2018 at 13 months old.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
-
Three women who had been kidnapped between 2002 and 2004 and the 6-year-old daughter one of them had while in captivity, fathered by kidnapper Ariel Castro, were rescued.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Where the Newborn Kittens Are Now Newton, who manages cat and kitten rescue for Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue, responded to the call on a Saturday.—
Ryan Brennan
April 16,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
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Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok applied it to the AI age, predicting that AI adoption will beget more jobs, not fewer.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whelp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelp. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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