basking shark

noun

bask·​ing shark ˈba-skiŋ- 

: a large plankton-feeding shark (Cetorhinus maximus) that has an oil-rich liver and may attain a length of up to 45 feet (13.7 meters)

Examples of basking shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An old box hedge running down one side of the garden had been turned into a procession including an owl, a pig, two rabbits, a hen, a goose, a duck, a snail, a dove, some Barbara Hepworth-style abstracts, and a basking shark. —Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024

The fin of a basking shark is overall more rounded, with a slightly curved back edge. —Kathryn Varn, Axios, 11 July 2024

Researchers don’t know whether the 23-foot (7-meter) basking shark inhabiting the waters around the Blasket Islands, off the coast of Ireland, survived the collision. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 July 2024

At one point during that swim, a basking shark appeared and swam alongside Edgley for a day and a half. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1769, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

basking shark

noun

: a large shark that feeds on plankton and may reach 45 feet (13.7 meters) in length