Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for porpoise

porpoise

[ pawr-puhs ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) por·poise, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) por·pois·es.
  1. any of several small, gregarious cetacean mammals of the genus Phocoena, usually blackish above and paler beneath, and having a blunt, rounded snout, especially the common porpoise, P. phocoena, of both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
  2. any of several small cetacean mammals, as the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis.


verb (used without object)

, por·poised, por·pois·ing.
  1. (of a speeding motorboat) to leap clear of the water after striking a wave.
  2. (of a torpedo) to appear above the surface of the water.
  3. to move forward with a rising and falling motion in the manner of a porpoise:

    The car has a tendency to porpoise when overloaded.

porpoise

/ ˈpɔːpəs /

noun

  1. any of various small cetacean mammals of the genus Phocaena and related genera, having a blunt snout and many teeth: family Delphinidae (or Phocaenidae )
  2. not in technical use any of various related cetaceans, esp the dolphin
“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


Discover More

Other Words From

  • porpoise·like adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of porpoise1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English porpoys, from Middle French porpois, from unattested Vulgar Latin porcopiscis “hog fish,” for Latin porcus marīnus “sea hog”
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of porpoise1

C14: from French pourpois, from Medieval Latin porcopiscus (from Latin porcus pig + piscis fish), replacing Latin porcus marīnus sea pig
Discover More

Example Sentences

The problems of overfishing go beyond the damage to important species like sharks and rays and charismatic, endangered species like the vaquita porpoise.

From Vox

Whales, dolphins and porpoises all live in water, but they’re not fish.

From time to time a porpoise swam up, and with a sudden roll disappeared below the scarcely ruffled surface.

There is a rotund, porpoise-shaped globular gentleman known of these parts as 'Bim the Button Man.'

Tad made a long, curving dive not unlike that of a porpoise.

The girls plump as a young porpoise, an shes mine, an Im going to keep her; you can lay to that!

They were like silver gulls escorting limitless schools of porpoise through placid waters.

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


porphyryporrect