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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
Examples of right whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Smaller groups of right whales have been spotted there in the past, usually during the fall, the aquarium said.
—Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025
The population of North Atlantic right whales has seen a slight increase in recent years, with the latest estimate from the the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium being that there are 372 right whales remaining, up from a low of 358 as of 2020.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2025
This is a common cause of injury and death for right whales.
—Emily Jones, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024
The team cites similar reasons as to why the maximum lifespans of both species of right whale were underestimated.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 29 Dec. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1725, in the meaning defined above
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 1 Feb. 2025.
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
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about right whale
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