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

Illustration of right whale

Examples of right whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An unusual journey In her 26 years working with right whale sighting networks, Albert has seen right whales travel into the Gulf fewer than a half-dozen times. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025

Smaller groups of right whales have been spotted there in the past, usually during the fall, the aquarium said. —Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025

The population of North Atlantic right whales has seen a slight increase in recent years, with the latest estimate from the the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium being that there are 372 right whales remaining, up from a low of 358 as of 2020. —State House News Service, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2025

This is a common cause of injury and death for right whales. —Emily Jones, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

right whale

noun

: a large baleen whale with no fin on the back, a very large head, and small eyes near the lower part of the mouth