white whale

American

noun

beluga.

white whale British

noun

Also called: beluga. a small white toothed whale, Delphinapterus leucas, of northern waters: family Monodontidae

"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

Etymology

Origin of white whale

First recorded in 1680–90

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.

Once the leviathan of profit for companies like Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific, pelvic mesh was now the white whale of liability for mass tort plaintiffs’ attorneys.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

Kent’s jet-black sea is indistinguishable from the cosmos, and his white whale glows like some luminary body within it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

The Oilers have clearly become the Kings’ white whale, the foe who must be vanquished.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2024

The tame white whale, which locals named Hvaldimir, made headlines five years ago amidst widespread speculation that it was a Russian spy.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2024

“You would. Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for pretentious metaphors.”

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023