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humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that is black above and white below and has very long flippers, and fleshy tubercles along the snout
Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Discoveries Explore these fascinating new findings: — A male humpback whale embarked on a record-breaking migration spanning 8,106 miles (13,046 kilometers) between the Pacific and Indian oceans, offering unique insight into the complex behaviors of these marine giants.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
In other whale news, humpback whales have been hanging out in Orange County for the last two months.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Some whale migration routes are known to exceed 5,000 miles between feeding and breeding grounds, and humpback whales in particular have some of the longest migrations of any mammal.
—Hannah Peart, NBC News, 11 Dec. 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
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Word History
First Known Use
1726, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near humpback whale
Cite this Entry
“Humpback whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humpback%20whale. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale that is black above and white below and has very long flippers
More from Merriam-Webster on humpback whale
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about humpback whale
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