narwhal
noun
nar·whal
| \ ˈnär-ˌwäl
, -ˌhwäl, -wəl\
, -ˌhwäl, -wəl\
variants:
or less commonly narwhale \ ˈnär-ˌwāl
, -ˌhwāl \
, -ˌhwāl \
Definition of narwhal
: an arctic cetacean (Monodon monoceros) that reaches a length of about 16 feet (5 meters) and possesses in the male one or rarely two long, spirally twisted, pointed tusks
Note: Although the narwhal is classified as a toothed whale (suborder Odontoceti), it does not possess any teeth in its mouth.
Illustration of narwhal
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Examples of narwhal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Avocados, llamas and narwhals are in, as are earth tones and neutral colors like white and gray. — Washington Post, "Billion-dollar baby: How Carter’s became a staple of just about every child’s wardrobe," 25 July 2019 Students designed cakes that featured Star Wars characters, a unicorn narwhal party, pink and yellow roses, a winter wonderland, sushi and a smiling taco. — Jess Nocera, baltimoresun.com, "Howard Community College offers Kids on Campus summer enrichment program," 1 Aug. 2019 Even more surprising was that the animal's mother had been a narwhal and the father a beluga. — Jason Bittel, Anchorage Daily News, "The ‘narluga’ is a strange hybrid. But it’s far from alone.," 28 June 2019 Cheesemaker Brian Civitello partnered with Jason Sobocinski, then the owner of the former Caseus Fromagerie and Bistro in New Haven, to create the brand, recognizable by its distinctive logo: a narwhal with its tusk spearing a piece of holey Swiss. — Leeanne Griffin, courant.com, "Did some one say grilled-cheese bar? At Mystic Cheese, it’s always a race to keep up with demand," 24 July 2019 Gray whales don’t echolocate like orcas and narwhals do. — Daniel Wolfe, Quartz, "Scientists are worried that a thousand gray whales have died so far this year," 20 July 2019 Below us is Fram Strait, a deep ocean channel and one of the Arctic’s richest feeding grounds, where narwhals, bowhead whales, and beluga whales gather each spring to feast at the ice edge. — Christian Åslund, National Geographic, "Melting ice may be a boon for some Arctic whales—then a bust," 2 July 2019 Belugas and narwhals diverged from a common ancestor around five million years ago. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "This Bizarre Whale Is a Beluga-Narwhal Hybrid," 20 June 2019 The all white belugas are a cold-water species native to the arctic and sub-arctic north whose closest relative among cetaceans is the narwhal. — Steve Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Shedd Aquarium beluga gives birth to healthy calf," 4 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'narwhal.' 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 narwhal
narwhal
noun
nar·whal
| \ ˈnär-ˌhwäl
, -ˌwäl\
, -ˌwäl\
Kids Definition of narwhal
: an arctic marine animal that is related to dolphins and whales and in the male has a long twisted ivory tusk
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