baleen whale

noun

: any of a suborder (Mysticeti) of usually large whales typically of colder waters that lack teeth but have baleen plates in the upper jaw which are used to filter chiefly small crustaceans (such as krill) out of large quantities of seawater see fin whale, gray whale, humpback whale, right whale, rorqual compare toothed whale

Examples of baleen whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For over 50 years, researchers have shared compelling anecdotes about baleen whales seemingly coordinating behavior over long distances, but the stories have remained just that—stories. —Joanna Thompson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Oct. 2024

Merrill pointed to a November 2022 study that estimated large baleen whales, such as blue whales, can consume up to 10 million microplastics each day. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024

Payne speculated that the larger baleen whales might travel in groups, too, but on a broader geographic scale. —Joanna Thompson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Oct. 2024

This whizzing tone using both low and high frequency pings sounds somewhat electronic or mechanical, unlike more melodic songs made by some baleen whales. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

baleen whale

noun

: any of various usually large whales lacking teeth but having baleen for filtering small ocean animals (as krill) out of seawater compare toothed whale