finback

[fin-bak]

See more synonyms for finback on Thesaurus.com

noun

any baleen whale of the genus Balaenoptera, having a prominent dorsal fin, especially B. physalus, of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts; rorqual: an endangered species.

Origin of finback

First recorded in 1715–25; fin¹ + back¹

Also called finback whale, fin whale.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for finback

mammal, porpoise, whopper, cetacean, grampus, baleen, finback, beluga, rorqual, narwhal, orca, ceta, cete, orc, sei

Examples from the Web for finback

Contemporary Examples of finback

Browne reminds us of the 2001 encounter between an American EP-3E surveillance aircraft and a Chinese "Finback" fighter jet.
The Truth About Women in Combat
David Frum
March 1, 2013

Historical Examples of finback

What's the difference between a 'finback' and a 'humpback,' Hank?
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries
Francis Rolt-Wheeler
W'en I uz young 'n foolish, a finback range 'longside me one day, off de Seychelles.
The Cruise of the Cachalot
Frank T. Bullen
The big sulphurbottom is a kind of finback, an' is the largest animal livin'.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries
Francis Rolt-Wheeler
Now, a finback is built more for speed an' has a big fin on the back—that's where it gets its name.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries
Francis Rolt-Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for finback

finback

noun

another name for rorqual

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012