whaler

American  

[hwey-ler, wey-] / ˈʰweɪ lər, ˈweɪ- /

noun

1. a person or vessel employed in whaling.

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whaler British  

/ ˈweɪlə /

noun

1. Also called (US): whaleman.  a person employed in whaling

2. a vessel engaged in whaling See factory ship whale catcher

3. another word for whaleboat

4. a nomad surviving in the bush without working

5. short for whaler shark

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Etymology

Origin of whaler

First recorded in 1675–85; whale ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Most of the images used in the study were captured during a 1937 expedition organized and paid for by Norwegian whaler Lars Christensen.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2024

More than 150 years ago, a San Francisco whaler noticed something about killer whales that scientists may be about to formally recognize — at least in name.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2024

The big, burly youth had learned a rough-and-tumble lesson aboard the whaler.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2023

Energy companies and other explorers have found more than 600 shipwrecks or possible shipwrecks there—including, last year, a 207-year-old whaler, Industry, which was built in 1815 and sank in 1836.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 22, 2023

All day it swam across Kelanna, pulling the little whaler behind it.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee