white whale
Americannoun
noun
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
That is, if he could only sort out the problem of the white whale, then he would be sorting out the entire world.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 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 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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
