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
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In March 2024, a deceased sperm whale washed up on a Venice beach.
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Jon Chapman, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2025
Some of the most common animal extracts used in hair perfumes are musk and ambergris, which is a waxy substance that is secreted by sperm whales.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
The 2015 Ron Howard film was based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 nonfiction book of the same name, which investigates the 1820 sinking of a whaling ship that was caused by a sperm whale attack.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
But upon further examination, the animal proved to be an emaciated dwarf sperm whale calf.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2024
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Jon Chapman, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2025
Some of the most common animal extracts used in hair perfumes are musk and ambergris, which is a waxy substance that is secreted by sperm whales.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
The 2015 Ron Howard film was based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 nonfiction book of the same name, which investigates the 1820 sinking of a whaling ship that was caused by a sperm whale attack.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
But upon further examination, the animal proved to be an emaciated dwarf sperm whale calf.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sperm whale
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Cite this Entry
“Sperm whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sperm%20whale. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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