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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
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
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Word History
First Known Use
1834, in the meaning defined above
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
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gray whale
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