Whales
[ hweylz, weylz ]
/ ʰweɪlz, weɪlz /
|
noun
Bay of, an inlet of the Ross Sea, in Antarctica: location of Little America.
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Definition for whales (2 of 3)
whale
1[ hweyl, weyl ]
/ ʰweɪl, weɪl /
noun, plural whales, (especially collectively) whale.
any of the larger marine mammals of the order Cetacea, especially as distinguished from the smaller dolphins and porpoises, having a fishlike body, forelimbs modified into flippers, and a head that is horizontally flattened.
Informal. something big, great, or fine of its kind: I had a whale of a time in Europe.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Cetus.
verb (used without object), whaled, whal·ing.
to engage in whaling or whale fishing.
Origin of whale
1before 900; Middle English; Old English hwæl; cognate with German Wal- in Walfisch, Old Norse hvalr; perhaps akin to Latin squalus kind of fish
Can be confusedwail whale
Definition for whales (3 of 3)
whale
2[ hweyl, weyl ]
/ ʰweɪl, weɪl /
verb, whaled, whal·ing,
to hit, thrash, or beat soundly.
Origin of whale
2First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for whales
British Dictionary definitions for whales (1 of 2)
whale
1/ (weɪl) /
noun plural whales or whale
any of the larger cetacean mammals, excluding dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals. They have flippers, a streamlined body, and a horizontally flattened tail and breathe through a blowhole on the top of the headRelated adjective: cetacean
any cetacean mammalSee also toothed whale, whalebone whale
slang a gambler who has the capacity to win and lose large sums of money in a casino
a whale of a informal an exceptionally large, fine, etc, example of a (person or thing)we had a whale of a time on holiday
Word Origin for whale
Old English hwæl; related to Old Saxon, Old High German hwal, Old Norse hvalr, Latin squalus seapig
British Dictionary definitions for whales (2 of 2)
whale
2/ (weɪl) /
verb
(tr) to beat or thrash soundly
Word Origin for whale
C18: variant of wale 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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