baleen whale

noun

: any of a suborder (Mysticeti) of usually large whales typically of colder waters that lack teeth but have baleen plates in the upper jaw which are used to filter chiefly small crustaceans (such as krill) out of large quantities of seawater see fin whale, gray whale, humpback whale, right whale, rorqual compare toothed whale

Examples of baleen whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Right whales are filter-feeding baleen whales that were hunted almost to extinction during the height of the whaling industry. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 29 Dec. 2024

And beyond baleen whales, the sperm whale is another king-sized species that may make an appearance for guests. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

The Patch also draws prey species such as baleen whales, and the action can be dramatic. —Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024

For over 50 years, researchers have shared compelling anecdotes about baleen whales seemingly coordinating behavior over long distances, but the stories have remained just that—stories. —Joanna Thompson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

baleen whale

noun

: any of various usually large whales lacking teeth but having baleen for filtering small ocean animals (as krill) out of seawater compare toothed whale