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:
A report from Earthjustice estimates that expanded oil drilling in California could threaten five marine species including humpback whales, sea otters, leatherback sea turtles, marbled murrelets and wild salmon.
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 dead whale was discovered last weekend, two weeks after a private bid aimed at rescuing the humpback that spent weeks stranded along Germany's Baltic Sea coast.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
The first humpback was initially photographed in 2007 in Hervey Bay, in the state of Queensland on Australia's east coast.
From Barron's ● May 20, 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
In 2007, seven humpbacks were seen, and by 2024, there were 150 ship-based sightings of these giant whales.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He generally sees humpbacks but sometimes other species including the still critically endangered North Atlantic Right whale.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
While it’s normal to see humpbacks in Monterey Bay or Hawai’i, Southern California is more of a transitory point for the whales en route to Mexico or even Costa Rica, according to Girardeau.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2024
“Those are the humpbacks after herring. They’re following their instincts. Every spring they migrate up from calving grounds in Hawaii.”
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
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.
