orca
noun
or·ca
| \ ˈȯr-kə
\
\
plural orcas
or orca
Definition of orca
: a relatively small toothed whale (Orcinus orca of the family Delphinidae) that is black above with white underparts and white oval-shaped patches behind the eyes : killer whale
Orcas are … the most agile and streamlined of the cetaceans. Found throughout the world, they are intelligent, social, and matriarchal.— Marguerite Holloway At the end of the food chain sustained by the krill is the orca … a spectacular animal patterned in black and white, that hunts in groups of up to thirty or forty, feeding on penguins, porpoises and seals.— John Vandenbeld There they were, wild orcas. Adrenaline rushed through my body, but I clung to the dock. I knew nothing of these waters or this northern wilderness.— Alexandra Morton … nowhere in the world are orca easier to see than on Puget Sound, where new whale-watching cruises bring you close to one of the few resident populations. — Sunset
Examples of orca in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the boat neared, the killer whales surfaced adjacent to the boat and Biertuempfel was able to capture a water-droplet sharp photograph of three orcas emerging in tandem. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Humpbacks, killer whales, fin whales star in coastal spectacle," 28 Aug. 2019 The same population of whales made headlines last year, when a mother orca named Tahlequah carried her deceased baby for more than two weeks in a remarkable display of grief. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Southern Resident Killer Whale Population Drops to 73 as 3 Orcas Are Presumed Dead," 7 Aug. 2019 In the film, a boy determines to help Willy, a captive orca (played by Keiko, a whale housed at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport for a few years). — oregonlive.com, "The Historic Oregon Film Trail celebrates scenery, history, movies like ‘The Goonies,’ ‘Stand By Me,’ and more," 25 July 2019 Unlike the orca shows, which long ago banished trainers from interacting with the killer whales in the water, the dolphin presentations, known as Dolphin Days, have no such prohibition. — Sam Hodgson/the San Diego Union-tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, "PETA’s latest demand: End ‘circus-style’ dolphin shows at SeaWorld," 5 June 2019 Rodeo belongs in the dustbin of history, along with Ringling Bros. Circus, SeaWorld’s banned orca shows, and greyhound racing (outlawed in Florida in a 2018 ballot initiative). — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: Rodeo needs to go the way of orca shows and dog racing," 17 July 2019 At least one orca has been observed killing and eating an adult white shark at the Farallon Islands, back in 1997. — Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, "Orcas May Turn Great White Sharks into Scaredy Cats," 8 July 2019 The booze may improve your chances of spotting an otter or orca at sea. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, "A Long Weekend on Whidbey Island, the Playground of the Pacific Northwest," 10 July 2019 The sharks' willingness to give up good feeding opportunities at the Farallon Islands suggests that going elsewhere is preferable to sticking around and facing the risk—however slight—of becoming an orca's next meal. — Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, "Orcas May Turn Great White Sharks into Scaredy Cats," 8 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orca.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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