whale
1any 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.
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.
Also called cryp·to whale [krip-toh weyl, hweyl] /ˈkrɪp toʊ ˌweɪl, ʰweɪl/ . 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: The recent accumulation of this cryptocurrency by whales may indicate that they expect it to see significant gains in the near future.: Compare minnow (def. 5).
Whale, Astronomy. the constellation Cetus.
to engage in whaling or whale fishing.
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: When she demonstrated her project, “How to Whale and Make Millions,” they didn’t know whether to award her or arrest her!: Compare spear phish.
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.
Origin of whale
1Words that may be confused with whale
- wail, whale
Other definitions for whale (2 of 2)
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.
whale (away) at / on
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.
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.
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.
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!
Origin of whale
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use whale in a sentence
The road was a bit cut up and sandy in places, but Clip whaled his machine along and they did a trifle better than thirty miles.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. MatthewsI took a fast look around and fought the wheel of my car to turn aside, but he whaled into my tail and we went sliding forward.
Highways in Hiding | George Oliver Smith"Yes, unless he wants to get whaled half to death," sweetly answered the soft-voiced twin.
Hope Hathaway | Frances ParkerThey just ducked and punched and whaled away at each other until the blood began to spatter all over and still they kept at it.
Conscript 2989 | Irving CrumpHe saw no reason why he should not push on; and in the Egyptian obliquity of his heart, he 'whaled' his ass to a degree.
British Dictionary definitions for whale (1 of 2)
/ (weɪl) /
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: Related adjective: cetacean
any cetacean mammal: See also toothed whale, whalebone whale
slang a gambler who has the capacity to win and lose large sums of money in a casino
a whale of a informal an exceptionally large, fine, etc, example of a (person or thing): we had a whale of a time on holiday
Origin of whale
1British Dictionary definitions for whale (2 of 2)
/ (weɪl) /
(tr) to beat or thrash soundly
Origin of whale
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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