dolphin
any of several chiefly marine, cetacean mammals of the family Delphinidae, having a fishlike body, numerous teeth, and the front of the head elongated into a beaklike projection.
Also called dolphinfish, mahimahi, pompano dolphin . either of two large, slender fishes, Coryphaena hippurus or C. equisetis, of warm and temperate seas.
Nautical.
a pile, cluster of piles, or buoy to which a vessel may be moored in open water.
a cluster of piles used as a fender, as at the entrance to a dock.
a pudding fender at the nose of a tugboat or on the side of a vessel.
Dolphin, Astronomy. the constellation Delphinus.
Origin of dolphin
1Words Nearby dolphin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dolphin in a sentence
Sean Pierce, who captained the speedy 35-foot inflatable raft, narrated an entertaining trip that mixed snorkeling with stops as spinner dolphins or humpbacks came into view.
The ocean soundtrack of the popular imagination is a largely silent one, interrupted only by the mournful aria of migrating whales or the acapella vocalizations of dolphin pods.
Underwater Noise Pollution Is Disrupting Ocean Life—But We Can Fix It | Aryn Baker | February 5, 2021 | TimeGuards visit communities and share dolphin-rescue hotline numbers to report incidents of dolphins stranded on the riverbank or in canals.
When dolphins play with air bubbles, they are honing their skills at confusing and catching prey.
Previous studies had suggested dolphins can learn from peers.
Dolphins can learn from their peers how to use shells as tools | Jack J. Lee | August 6, 2020 | Science News For Students
A popular beach bar was bulldozed to make way for a dolphin swim attraction.
And if you make it all the way through, you'll even see a dolphin.
But those hearts will likely be pounding a bit harder than if you had just seen, say, dolphin Tale.
“The truth came out… like a dolphin wiggling free of a blanket,” Colbert quipped.
If Clint Eastwood and a dolphin had sex, I would be the spawn.
Shoals of tunny-fish, (fish four and five feet long, and belonging to the dolphin tribe,) were seen tumbling about the ship.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferOf these the “dolphin” is the largest, standing at the corner of Dragon Street, where the high-road passes by.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperFor the rest, the “dolphin” is a singularly dull and unromantic-looking house, painted a leaden hue.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperBritish commodore Byron sailed from the Downs in the dolphin, on his voyage round the world.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThence home, and found Sir Williams both and much more company gone to the dolphin to drink the 30s.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete | Samuel Pepys
British Dictionary definitions for dolphin
/ (ˈdɒlfɪn) /
any of various marine cetacean mammals of the family Delphinidae, esp Delphinus delphis, that are typically smaller than whales and larger than porpoises and have a beaklike snout
river dolphin any freshwater cetacean of the family Platanistidae, inhabiting rivers of North and South America and S Asia. They are smaller than marine dolphins and have a longer narrower snout
Also called: dorado either of two large marine percoid fishes, Coryphaena hippurus or C. equisetis, that resemble the cetacean dolphins and have an iridescent coloration
nautical a post or buoy for mooring a vessel
Origin of dolphin
1Collins 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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