grampus
Americannoun
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grampuses
plural
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a cetacean, Grampus griseus, of the dolphin family, widely distributed in northern seas.
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any of various related cetaceans, as the killer whale, Orcinus (Orca ) orca.
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a giant whip scorpion common to Florida.
noun
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a widely distributed slaty-grey dolphin, Grampus griseus, with a blunt snout
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another name for killer whale
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of grampus
1520–30; earlier grampoys, variant (by assimilation) of graundepose great fish, equivalent to graunde grand + pose, poys < Middle French pois, peis < Latin pisce- (stem of piscis ) fish; replacing Middle English gra ( s ) peis < Middle French ≪ Latin crassus piscis fat fish
Vocabulary lists containing grampus
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.
See Examples For:
He continues: “Water dog, grampus, grumpus, mollyhugger, horny head, devil dog.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 2, 2018
It h a menacing or amorous puff, similar to the grampus.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
They could hear Mrs. Vand puffing and panting like a grampus, as she searched round and round.
From The Solitary Farm by Fergus Hume
The sea was full of white whales, narwhals, and grampus.
From The Romance of Polar Exploration Interesting Descriptions of Arctic and Antarctic Adventure from the Earliest Time to the Voyage of the ?Discovery? by G. Firth Scott
Presently the Old Man, puffing like a grampus, hurried up to Mostyn.
From The Wireless Officer by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman
Panting like grampuses, mopping their red faces, Sir Colin & posse then went back to their pews.
From Time Magazine Archive
Several grampuses were seen at the anchorage, also many dugongs and turtles.
The last family of existing cetaceans is the above-mentioned Delphinidae, which includes the true dolphins, porpoises, grampuses and their relatives.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various
What's that among a tribe o' such grampuses?
From Diana by Susan Warner
They put their heads under water and came up puffing and blowing like grampuses.
From Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
