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humpback whale

American

[huhmp-bak hweyl, weyl] / ˈhʌmpˌbæk ˌʰweɪl, ˌweɪl /

noun

a large baleen whale of the genus Megaptera having long narrow flippers, and noted for its habit of arching deeply as it dives: an endangered species.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

humpback whales

plural

Etymology

Origin of humpback whale

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

humpback whale

The carcass of a dead humpback whale whose attempted rescue captivated many across Germany has been pulled ashore.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

The study, "First evidence of bidirectional exchange between distant humpback whale breeding populations in eastern Australia and Brazil," was published in Royal Society Open Science.

From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026

Researchers said the work also leant further credence to a theory about humpback whale patterns known as the "Southern Ocean Exchange".

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

A humpback whale that underwent a rescue operation in Germany two weeks ago after beaching itself there has been found dead near a Danish island, officials said Saturday.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

An intelligent being: A humpback whale breaches the surface of the waters, Frederick Sound, Alaska, summer 1979.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023