Illustration of sperm whale
: 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)
Examples of sperm whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Right off the coast is the 37-mile long Kaikoura Canyon, which attracts blue whales, humpbacks and hundreds of resident sperm whales.
—
Catherine Garcia, theweek, 25 Nov. 2024
Within minutes of our boat’s arrival at the Patch, Sharp spotted a sperm whale lolling at the surface, its skin the color of tarnished silver.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024
But based on the financial success of its previous voyages in search of sperm oil—a high-quality lighting oil derived from the spermaceti organ in the head of the sperm whale—it was considered a desirable, even lucky, ship by local whalers.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
Although the village catches an average of just nine sperm whales a year, that and the dolphin fishing have been enough to anger Western animal rights activists, who, in late 2011, posted YouTube videos demanding that people stop eating tuna canned in Indonesia in protest.
—Elizabeth Pisani, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2014
See all Example Sentences for sperm whale 
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.
Catherine Garcia, theweek, 25 Nov. 2024
Within minutes of our boat’s arrival at the Patch, Sharp spotted a sperm whale lolling at the surface, its skin the color of tarnished silver.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024
But based on the financial success of its previous voyages in search of sperm oil—a high-quality lighting oil derived from the spermaceti organ in the head of the sperm whale—it was considered a desirable, even lucky, ship by local whalers.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
Although the village catches an average of just nine sperm whales a year, that and the dolphin fishing have been enough to anger Western animal rights activists, who, in late 2011, posted YouTube videos demanding that people stop eating tuna canned in Indonesia in protest.
—Elizabeth Pisani, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2014
See all Example Sentences for sperm whale
Articles Related to sperm whale
Dictionary Entries Near sperm whale
Cite this Entry
“Sperm whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sperm%20whale. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share