humpback

noun
hump·​back | \ ˈhəmp-ˌbak How to pronounce humpback (audio) , for sense 1 also -ˈbak\

Definition of humpback

1 : a humped or crooked back also : kyphosis

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Examples of humpback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some whale species, like the humpback, have recovered from centuries of hunting while others, like the North Atlantic right whale and Sei whale, are still endangered. Doug Johnson, Quartz, "Elephants and whales could give us the cure for cancer—unless we keep killing them," 14 Aug. 2019 In this case, the song sounds like pattern of loud gunshots, not the sinuous, haunting melodies of the humpback. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Listen to the First Known Song of the North Pacific Right Whale," 24 June 2019 Channel Islands National Park, California Astride the migration route of humpbacks, orcas, and gray whales and home at any one time to 30,000 seals and sea lions, the Southern California archipelago is renowned for marine mammals. Joe Yogerst, National Geographic, "Top 10 wildlife encounters in parks," 9 Apr. 2019 Dekker followed up a day later with another photo, describing the scene of 5 humpbacks lunge feeding in close quarters with around 300 sea lions. Fox News, "California photographer snaps sea lion ‘trapped’ in humpback whale’s mouth: ‘The true Jonah experience’," 31 July 2019 While the humpbacks were lunge feeding on a school of anchovies, a sea lion apparently didn't jump out of the way fast enough and got trapped inside the whales mouth! Sophie Sherry And Justin Lear, CNN, "A rare photograph shows a sea lion trapped in the mouth of a humpback whale," 30 July 2019 But those that spend significant time near the surface — such as right whales and humpbacks — are especially vulnerable, said Vanessa Pirotta, a marine biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney. NBC News, "High-tech thermal cameras could protect whales from deadly collisions with ships," 5 July 2019 In waters off of West Africa, the rare Atlantic humpback dolphin is now endangered because of human activities. Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Our love of dolphins is not always good for them," 8 June 2019 In May, a group of humpbacks was spotted off the coast of Ireland interacting and playing with a pod of dolphins. Fox News, "Rare white whale spotted off Australian coast," 21 June 2019

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

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First Known Use of humpback

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for humpback

humpback

noun
hump·​back | \ ˈhəmp-ˌbak How to pronounce humpback (audio) \

Kids Definition of humpback

1 : a humped or crooked back

Other Words from humpback

humpbacked \ -​ˈbakt \ adjective

humpback

noun
hump·​back | \ -ˌbak, for 1 also -ˈbak\

Medical Definition of humpback

1 : a humped or crooked back also : kyphosis

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