sperm whale

noun

ˈspərm- 

: a very large toothed whale (Physeter macrocephalus synonym P. catodon) that has large conical teeth in the lower jaw, a single blowhole, and a massive squarish head with a closed cavity containing a fluid mixture of spermaceti and oil, and that may reach a length in the male of nearly 60 feet (18.3 meters)

Illustration of sperm whale

Examples of sperm whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Whalers also brought spermaceti, a waxy substance that comes from a sperm whale’s head and is used to produce candles and lubricants for precision machinery like watches and clocks. —Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025

More highlights: a James Turrell wall sculpture (that sold for $900,000), a Robert Longo drawing of a sperm whale at Thaddeus Ropac, the restaging of a Chris Burden desert welcoming tent, Maia Cruz Palileo at Kordansky. —Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Expedition Hawaii, which captured the sea creature eating a sperm whale off the coast of Oahu. —Stacy Lambe, People.com, 12 Feb. 2025

The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and it’s known to dive as deep as 1,000 meters in search of squid to eat. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for spermaceti whale

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sperm whale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

sperm whale

noun

: a large toothed whale with a large chamber in the skull that contains a fluid mixture of spermaceti and oil