minke
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of minke
1930–35; < Norwegian minkehval, allegedly after a crew member of the Norwegian whaling pioneer Svend Foyn (1809–94), named Meincke, who mistook a pod of minkes for blue whales
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.
A sequence showing a minke whale's desperate break for freedom from a hunting team of killer whales provided an enduring image.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
The study, published in Scientific Reports, found a steep rise in strandings involving common dolphins and baleen whales - filter-feeding species that include minke and humpback whales.
From BBC • Aug. 20, 2025
Despite recent efforts by marine wildlife experts to reroute the animal to deeper waters, the minke whale was found dead on Sunday, officials confirmed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2025
Earlier this month, a minke whale that spent days swimming in Long Beach Harbor died — despite efforts by marine wildlife experts to reroute it back to deeper waters.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2025
However, minke whales have a flathead in front of their two blow holes and are black to dark gray on the back.
From Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic A Guide to Their Identification by Caldwell, David
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.
