whale

¹

[ weyl, hweyl ]

noun

, plural whales, (especially collectively) whale.

1. any of the larger marine mammals of the order Cetacea, especially as distinguished from the smaller dolphins and porpoises, having a fishlike body, forelimbs modified into flippers, and a head that is horizontally flattened.
2. Informal. something big, great, or fine of its kind:

   I had a whale of a time in Europe.

   Programming this game turned out to be a whale of a project.

3. Also called cryp·to whale [krip, -toh weyl, hweyl]. an investor who holds a large amount of cryptocurrency and is therefore able to create noticeable effects on the market, as by influencing prices through large transactions or by reducing the amount of available cryptocurrency through failure to move their holdings: Compare minnow ( def 5 ).

   The recent accumulation of this cryptocurrency by whales may indicate that they expect it to see significant gains in the near future.

4. Whale, Astronomy. the constellation Cetus.

verb (used without object)

, whaled, whal·ing.

1. to engage in whaling or whale fishing.
2. Digital Technology. to phish by posing as a company’s attorney, CEO, vendor, or other authorized entity in order to scam a payroll department, corporate executive, etc., out of money or confidential information: Compare spear phish.

   When she demonstrated her project, “How to Whale and Make Millions,” they didn’t know whether to award her or arrest her!

verb (used with object)

, whaled, whal·ing.

1. Digital Technology. to make (a company’s employee or department) a phishing victim by posing as an entity authorized to procure money or confidential information from the company:

   Before proving he had been whaled, the marketing VP was subjected to much scrutiny and suspicion.

whale

²

[ weyl, hweyl ]

verb

, whaled, whal·ing,

1. to hit, thrash, or beat soundly:

   Back then, if we misbehaved, Dad would threaten to whale us.

   We took advantage of the other team where they were weakest and whaled the stuffing out of them.

verb phrase

1. 1. to work vigorously and continuously at or on:

      It was cool to see this bunch of talented writers whaling away on their screenplay.

      I remember whaling at code over and over, pretty much at random, until I found something that sort of worked.

   2. to strike with furious and repeated blows:

      Satisfying as it was to whale on the punching bag, it did little to restore my emotional balance.

      In the last round, he pinned his opponent in the corner and was whaling away at him with both hands.

   3. to criticize vehemently:

      When hostile people are whaling on your ideas, it’s easy to feel humiliated and angry.

      Now all the political pundits are whaling away at the president for neglecting the military.

   4. to play (an instrument) with abandon:

      There was a jazz musician in the corner of the bar, whaling away at the piano.

      He and his band whaled on their instruments with their whole bodies—it was amazing!

whale

¹

/ weɪl /

verb

1. tr to beat or thrash soundly

whale

²

/ weɪl /

noun

1. any of the larger cetacean mammals, excluding dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals. They have flippers, a streamlined body, and a horizontally flattened tail and breathe through a blowhole on the top of the head cetacean
2. See whalebone whale, toothed whale
   any cetacean mammal See also toothed whale whalebone whale
3. slang.
   a gambler who has the capacity to win and lose large sums of money in a casino
4. a whale of a informal.
   a whale of a an exceptionally large, fine, etc, example of a (person or thing)

   we had a whale of a time on holiday

Word History and Origins

Origin of whale¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwæl; cognate with German Wal- in Walfisch, Old Norse hvalr; akin to Latin squalus, a kind of fish; 2005–10 whale ¹fordefs 6, 7 (from the consideration of the victim as a “big fish/phish”)

Origin of whale²

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of whale¹

C18: variant of wale ¹

Origin of whale²

Old English hwæl; related to Old Saxon, Old High German hwal, Old Norse hvalr, Latin squalus seapig

Example Sentences

Humpback whales off Alaska sometimes use their fins and circular bubble nets to catch fish.

From Science News For Students

Cetaceans — dolphins, whales and porpoises — are known for using clever strategies to round up meals.

From Science News

Now researchers have measured levels of carbon-14 in the vertebrae of two whale sharks.

From Science News For Students

Until now, scientists hadn’t known how fast those whale shark vertebrae gain a new growth band.

From Science News For Students

To stay submerged longer, whales recycle air that they’ve used to make echolocation clicks.

From Science News For Students

The Dude is at his happiest when he has a few minutes of solitude and rest to get high and listen to whale sounds.

From The Daily Beast

Japan is throwing its annual whale week again to celebrate its dubious commercial hunting of the endangered mammals.

From The Daily Beast

Guests are also invited to try fried pieces of whale seasoned with curry powder.

From The Daily Beast

That dinner kicked off a government-sanctioned Whale Exhibition that will go until the 13th.

From The Daily Beast

Pharmaceutical company Ohta Isan has a product called Balenine Dash, which is made from whale and claims to give you energy.

From The Daily Beast

A Naval Officer who has seen her says she is lying in shallow water—6 fathoms—bottom upwards looking like a stranded whale.

From Project Gutenberg

He was experienced in the North Atlantic trade, in seal, whale and cod fishing and other Newfoundland industries.

From Project Gutenberg

Fish scales cover the walls, and everywhere there is a smell as if one were in the belly of a whale.

From Project Gutenberg

I've seen pictures of an excited whale turning a boat full of men over.

From Project Gutenberg

Fat Boy's two hundred and eighty-odd pounds were drooped over his chair like the blubber of an exhausted, beach-stranded whale.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mammal
• porpoise