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 This has a wide range of applications– one, according to Fielding, is making sure container ships don’t run into endangered right whales. Allison Beck, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024 Their concerns include a possible threat to the endangered North Atlantic right whales that frequent the area, says Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which asked EPA to deny the permits. Bywarren Cornwall, science.org, 14 Aug. 2024 The animal — a juvenile southern right whale — was first spotted June 28 near Hermanus, located about 75 miles southeast of Cape Town, according to a news release from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), a nonprofit. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 July 2024 More than 500 humpback, minke and right whales have been seriously injured, stranded onshore or died prematurely on or near the East Coast since 2017, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Josh Axelrod, Scientific American, 26 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for right whale 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'right whale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 25 Sep. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on right whale

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