gray whale

noun

: a large baleen whale (Eschrichtius robustus) of the northern Pacific having short jaws and no dorsal fin

Examples of gray whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The majority of the whales, 29, were humpbacks, while at least four were gray whales and one was a fin whale. Brendan Rascius, Sacramento Bee, 31 Dec. 2024 Recently, the gray whale population was decimated during an unusual mortality event. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024 Butterflies made a historic trans-Atlantic flight, an Antarctic penguin made a surprise appearance on a sandy beach, and a gray whale traveled thousands of miles from home. Danielle Hall, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024 In an effort to mix things up, the camp arranged a whale-watching trip for us (January is gray whale season in Southern California). Anna North, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See all Example Sentences for gray whale 

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gray whale was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near gray whale

Cite this Entry

“Gray whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20whale. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

gray whale

noun
: a large baleen whale of the northern Pacific Ocean

More from Merriam-Webster on gray whale

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