blowhole
noun
blow·hole
| \ ËblÅ-ËhÅl
\
\
plural blowholes
Definition of blowhole
1
: a hole in metal caused by a bubble of gas captured during solidification
2
: a nostril in the top of the head of a cetacean and especially a whale
3
: a hole or fissure in rocks along a shore through which incoming waves force air to rush upward or water to spout intermittently
The blowhole is in a place where ocean waves marching in from the north have undercut a lava shelf and carved a tire-sized hole so that surf can spout up like a Yellowstone geyser.— Brian J. Cantwell
Examples of blowhole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, a nonprofit that monitors ship traffic, said that a whaleâs blowhole can be easily confused with the whitecaps of the sea. — Los Angeles Times, "In the Santa Barbara Channel, an underwater sound system tries to keep whales and ships apart," 16 Aug. 2019 And an 18-year-old right whale was entangled in fishing gear near Quebec, with a rope cutting into its head and over its blowhole. — Amanda Coletta, Anchorage Daily News, "North Atlantic right whales are migrating in new ways - and dying in the process," 2 Aug. 2019 The whales also breathe through their blowholes, which are separate from their mouths, and very rarely blocked by debris. — Sarah Keartes, National Geographic, "How a humpback whale ended up with a sea lion in its mouth," 30 July 2019 Holland America's Eurodam can be seen sailing right next to a group of whales, indicated by a several bursts of water from their blowholes, according to a Twitter video posted by user @Kidd_In_Action. — Adrienne Jordan, USA TODAY, "Holland America cruise ship's close contact with humpback whales under investigation," 27 June 2019 Using drones to capture the mist from humpback whale blowholes, a team of Australian researchers has found viruses related to human pathogens like ones that cause the common cold. — Megha Satyanarayana, STAT, "Drones are helping researchers figure out what viruses live in whales. Some are similar to ones in humans," 11 June 2018 The conservative rhetoric previously funneled through Trumpâs anuslike blowhole always insisted that NFL players were disrespecting America by kneeling during the pregame display paid for by the marketing arm of the U.S. military. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "Donald Trump Admits the NFL Protests Actually Worked," 8 June 2018 And an 18-year-old right whale was entangled in fishing gear near Quebec, with a rope cutting into its head and over its blowhole. — Amanda Coletta, Anchorage Daily News, "North Atlantic right whales are migrating in new ways - and dying in the process," 2 Aug. 2019 Holland America's Eurodam can be seen sailing right next to a group of whales, indicated by a several bursts of water from their blowholes, according to a Twitter video posted by user @Kidd_In_Action. — Adrienne Jordan, USA TODAY, "Holland America cruise ship's close contact with humpback whales under investigation," 27 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blowhole.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for blowhole
blowhole
noun
English Language Learners Definition of blowhole
: a hole that is on the top of a whale or related animal's head and is used by the animal for breathing
: a hole in the ice to which seals and other animals that are living in the water under the ice come to breathe
See the full definition for blowhole in the English Language Learners Dictionary