1 whale | Definition of whale
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

whale

noun, often attributive
\ ˈhwāl How to pronounce whale (audio) , ˈwāl\
plural whales

Definition of whale

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 or plural whale : any of various very large, aquatic, marine mammals (order Cetacea) that have a torpedo-shaped body with a thick layer of blubber, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, a horizontally flattened tail, and nostrils that open externally at the top of the head also : cetacean — see baleen whale, toothed whale
2 : one that is impressive especially in size a whale of a difference a whale of a good time

whale

verb (1)
whaled; whaling

Definition of whale (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to engage in whale fishing

whale

verb (2)
whaled; whaling

Definition of whale (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : lash, thrash
2 : to strike or hit vigorously
3 : to defeat soundly
Other Words from whale Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about whale

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from whale

Noun

whalelike \ ˈhwāl-​ˌlīk How to pronounce whalelike (audio) , ˈwāl-​ \ adjective

Examples of whale in a Sentence

Noun

 a whale of a pickup truck

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 Adult whales from each species range in size from 13 feet to 43 feet in length. — Adrian Rodriguez, The Mercury News, "Suspected rare Hubbs’ beaked whale dead at Point Reyes National Seashore," 22 Aug. 2019 Harrison even sought the help of San Diego Sea World researchers to resolve the Biblical mystery of what whale or great fish in the Mediterranean Sea could have swallowed the prophet Jonah and spat him up alive three days later. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: A past president of Israel chose La Jolla as his hideaway," 20 Aug. 2019 Postmortems of stranded beaked whales after sonar tests have found hemorrhaging near the ears. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Rare Hubbs’ beaked whale found washed ashore, deceased, at Point Reyes," 20 Aug. 2019 Japan is now openly taking minke whales in its coastal waters for commercial sales—which the commission would not have allowed—and then selling whale products domestically. — Dina Fine Maron, National Geographic, "Why Japan stopped some of its controversial whale hunts," 16 Aug. 2019 That whales like Salt had value was never in doubt for Robbins. — Doug Johnson, Quartz, "Elephants and whales could give us the cure for cancer—unless we keep killing them," 14 Aug. 2019 Surfboard and watercolor whale prints, which pay homage to the island’s coastal locale and maritime history, are sprinkled throughout. — Hannah Seligson, Town & Country, "The Best Room At... The Wauwinet," 9 Aug. 2019 Nearly all seabirds—and other ocean creatures, like sea turtles and whales—are consuming plastic. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Eating Even One Piece of Plastic Has Health Consequences for Baby Seabirds," 5 Aug. 2019 The children's room was kitted out with two budget bunk beds, an elephant laundry basket and whales on the walls. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "See Inside Duchess Kate and Prince William's Vacation Villa in Mustique," 3 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of whale

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1700, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for whale

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hwæl; akin to Old High German hwal whale and perhaps to Latin squalus sea fish

Verb (2)

origin unknown

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for whale

whale

noun
How to pronounce whale (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of whale

: an often very large animal that lives in the ocean and that is a mammal rather than a fish
informal : something that is very big, important, good, etc.

See the full definition for whale in the English Language Learners Dictionary

whale

noun
\ ˈhwāl How to pronounce whale (audio) , ˈwāl\

Kids Definition of whale

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a very large sea mammal that has flippers and a flattened tail and breathes through an opening on the top of the head

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!