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

Illustration of right whale

Examples of right whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Humpback whale sightings are typically more common, although more than 80 North Atlantic right whales were seen off the coast of Long Island this summer. Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024 An increasingly deadly year for the endangered North Atlantic right whale got worse this week when another member of the species was killed in a collision with a ship, federal authorities said Thursday. Patrick Whittle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024 At the time, the Coast Guard was unable to confirm whether the whale was a humpback whale or an endangered North Atlantic right whale. Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024 The most recent right whale to die was found floating 50 miles (80 kilometers) offshore east of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach, Virginia, last Saturday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a news release. Patrick Whittle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for right whale 

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of right whale was in 1725

Dictionary Entries Near right whale

Cite this Entry

“Right whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right%20whale. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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

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