Illustration of right whale
right whale
noun
: any of several large baleen whales (family Balaenidae and especially genus Eubalaena) that lack a dorsal fin and have very long baleen plates, an extremely large head with a V-shaped blowhole, a smooth throat, short, broad, rounded flippers, and whitish protuberances of thickened skin about the head
Examples of right whale in a Sentence
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North Atlantic right whales typically return to northern feeding grounds around New England and Canada in winter and early spring after calving off the coast of the southeast U.S. each year.
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Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2025
As of 2025, approximately 370 North Atlantic right whales remain, the NOAA said.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2025
The first North Atlantic right whale mom and calf duo of the season were spotted in Cape Cod Bay heading into spring, the Center for Coastal Studies announced.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2025
The nonprofit advised consumers to avoid those lobsters, saying that endangered North Atlantic right whales were at significant risk of becoming entangled in fishing gear.
—Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2025
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Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2025
As of 2025, approximately 370 North Atlantic right whales remain, the NOAA said.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2025
The first North Atlantic right whale mom and calf duo of the season were spotted in Cape Cod Bay heading into spring, the Center for Coastal Studies announced.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2025
The nonprofit advised consumers to avoid those lobsters, saying that endangered North Atlantic right whales were at significant risk of becoming entangled in fishing gear.
—Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for right whale
Cite this Entry
“Right whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right%20whale. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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