humpback

American  

[huhmp-bak] / ˈhʌmpˌbæk /

noun

1. a back that is humped in a convex position.

2. kyphosis.

3. the humpback whale.

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humpback British  

/ ˈhʌmpˌbæk /

noun

1. another word for hunchback

2. 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

3. a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, the male of which has a humped back and hooked jaws

4. Also called: humpback bridge.  a road bridge having a sharp incline and decline and usually a narrow roadway

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Other Word Forms

• humpbacked adjective

Etymology

Origin of humpback

First recorded in 1690–1700; apparently back formation from humpbacked

Example Sentences

After spending more than a week trying to save a humpback whale stranded off Germany's northern coast, rescue officials have conceded their hopes have run out.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

A humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said Friday.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The study placed humpback whale bones on the deep ocean floor and monitored them for signs of life.

From Science Daily • Dec. 28, 2025

The researchers used drones carrying sterile petri dishes to capture droplets from the exhaled breath of humpback, fin and sperm whales, combined with skin biopsies taken from boats.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

The recorded songs of the humpback whale, filled with tensions and resolutions, ambiguities and allusions, incomplete, can be listened to as a part of music, like an isolated section of an orchestra.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas