humpback

[ huhmp-bak ]

/ ˈhʌmpˌbæk /

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noun

a back that is humped in a convex position.

kyphosis.

the humpback whale.

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Origin of humpback

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

Words nearby humpback

humorist, humorous, humour, humoursome, hump, humpback, humpbacked, humpback salmon, humpback whale, hump day, humped

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use humpback in a sentence

Fathom also gives an intimate look at what scientists undertake to find humpbacks in the vast ocean.
‘Fathom’ seeks to unravel humpback whales’ soulful songs|Jake Buehler|June 22, 2021|Science News
Each whale species, from the humpback to the ultra-rare Omura, has a signature sound.
How bomb detectors discovered a hidden pod of singing blue whales|Sara Kiley Watson|June 15, 2021|Popular-Science
My wife and I sat there every night of our visit, watching the sunset, the turtles bobbing up for air and the humpbacks breaking the ocean’s surface.
A Maui vacation in three acts|Alex Pulaski|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Some whale-watching organizations have suggested that humpbacks appear to breach more often than other species of whales.
A pair of kayakers in California barely avoid being swallowed by a humpback whale|Des Bieler|November 4, 2020|Washington Post

Some were North Atlantic right whales, others were humpbacks.
Whale blowholes don’t keep out seawater|Rasha Aridi|September 22, 2020|Science News For Students
Humpback whales are seasonal migrants found in all of the world's oceans.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska|United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
The present population of humpback whales in the North Pacific is estimated to be about 1,000 animals.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska|United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
The distribution, movements, abundance, and habitat requirements of humpback whales are not well known.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska|United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
Much of the exploitation of humpback whales occurred in the twentieth century, especially during the early 1960's.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska|United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
In 1966, the International Whaling Commission imposed a worldwide ban on the taking of humpback whales.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska|United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission

British Dictionary definitions for humpback

humpback

/ (ˈhʌmpˌbæk) /

noun

another word for hunchback

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

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

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

Derived forms of humpback

humpbacked, adjective

Word Origin for humpback

C17: alteration of earlier crumpbacked, perhaps influenced by hunchback; perhaps related to Dutch homp lump

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