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humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that is black above and white below and has very long flippers, and fleshy tubercles along the snout
Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to the nonprofit conservation group Oceana, a participant in those discussions, during the period from May to Oct. 21 of this year, four humpback whales were confirmed entangled in California commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Explore our new section There are now four cetacean species living in or regularly visiting the busy waters east of the Golden Gate — harbor porpoises, gray whales, humpback whales and bottle-nosed dolphins.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024
Sea World workers carried out a dramatic rescue operation off the coast of Australia, where a humpback whale was entangled in buoys and ropes.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 14 June 2024
That's a database of whale sightings, which includes more than 850 pictures of Fran the humpback whale, identified by her tail markings.
—David Pogue, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1726, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near humpback whale
Cite this Entry
“Humpback whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humpback%20whale. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale that is black above and white below and has very long flippers
More from Merriam-Webster on humpback whale
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about humpback whale
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