minke
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of minke
1930–35; < Norwegian minkehval, allegedly after a crew member of the Norwegian whaling pioneer Svend Foyn (1809–94), named Meincke, who mistook a pod of minkes for blue whales
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A sequence showing a minke whale's desperate break for freedom from a hunting team of killer whales provided an enduring image.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
The study, published in Scientific Reports, found a steep rise in strandings involving common dolphins and baleen whales - filter-feeding species that include minke and humpback whales.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
A minke whale has beached and died at Portstewart Strand in County Londonderry.
From BBC ● May 26, 2025
A minke whale that was swimming in Long Beach Harbor earlier this month died from domoic acid poisoning associated with a toxic algal bloom that has stricken many other sea creatures, according to officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
Figure 63.—Three views of minke whales at sea.
From Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic A Guide to Their Identification by David Caldwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
