porpoise
Americannoun
plural
porpoise,plural
porpoises-
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.
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any of several small cetacean mammals, as the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis.
verb (used without object)
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(of a speeding motorboat) to leap clear of the water after striking a wave.
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(of a torpedo) to appear above the surface of the water.
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to move forward with a rising and falling motion in the manner of a porpoise.
The car has a tendency to porpoise when overloaded.
noun
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any of various small cetacean mammals of the genus Phocaena and related genera, having a blunt snout and many teeth: family Delphinidae (or Phocaenidae )
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(not in technical use) any of various related cetaceans, esp the dolphin
Other Word Forms
- porpoiselike adjective
Etymology
Origin of porpoise
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”
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.
The disease is highly contagious and spreads easily among dolphins, whales, and porpoises causing severe disease and mass deaths.
From BBC
Their diet centered on smaller marine mammals including harbor seals and harbor porpoises, and they usually traveled and foraged in groups of about five.
From Science Daily
Dolphins, porpoises, and certain types of whales use echolocation to navigate the ocean.
From Literature
Roughly 6 million common dolphins inhabit tropical and temperate waters worldwide, making them the most numerous members of the cetacean family, which includes whales and porpoises.
From Science Daily
In 2019, Canada passed a bill making it illegal to hold a whale, dolphin or porpoise captive.
From BBC
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.
