humpback
Americannoun
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another word for hunchback
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Also called: humpback whale. a large whalebone whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, closely related and similar to the rorquals but with a humped back and long flippers: family Balaenopteridae
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a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, the male of which has a humped back and hooked jaws
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Also called: humpback bridge. a road bridge having a sharp incline and decline and usually a narrow roadway
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of humpback
First recorded in 1690–1700; apparently back formation from humpbacked
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:
Once hunted to near extinction, the rebound of humpback whales is considered among the conservation movement's greatest success stories.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
A handful of California species recoveries have been championed as success stories under the Endangered Species Act, including southern sea otters, peregrine falcons, humpback whales, bald eagles and green sea turtles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
They say the barriers kill local endangered species like the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin and the leatherback turtle, and they’re not that good at keeping out sharks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
The carcass of a dead humpback whale whose attempted rescue captivated many across Germany has been pulled ashore.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
“Brave fellow,” remarked the icy voice, still from somewhere in the air, and the humpback moved to pass.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Humans once hunted humpbacks to the edge of extinction, but their numbers have rebounded in recent decades.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
The waters off of Orange County have been visited by an unusually high number of humpbacks this year, according to observers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2024
The wandering male was among a group of humpbacks photographed from a research vessel on the Pacific coast of Colombia in 2013.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2024
He saw herds of humpbacks, breaching grey whales, schools of dolphins leading the ships to port.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
