Whale definition is - any of various very large, aquatic, marine mammals (order Cetacea) that have a torpedo-shaped body with a thick layer of blubber, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, a horizontally flattened tail, and nostrils that open externally at the top of the head; also: cetacean.
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
whale
- Whale definition is - any of various very large, aquatic, marine mammals (order Cetacea) that have a torpedo-shaped body with a thick layer of blubber, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, a horizontally flattened tail, and nostrils that open externally at the top of the head; also: cetacean. How to use whale in a sentence.
- The blue whale, the largest animal ever known to have existed, was almost exterminated in the 20th century due to commercial whaling. The United States and other International Whaling Commission (IWC) member countries have tried for years to persuade Iceland, Japan, and Norway to end their whaling as it undermines the effectiveness of the.
Not to be confused with:
wail – moan or lament; to cry loudly: The toddler is sure to wail when his mother leaves.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
whale 1
(wāl, hwāl)n.1.a. Any of various marine mammals of the order Cetacea; a cetacean.
b. Any of various larger members of this order, including the blue whale, humpback whale, and right whale, in contrast to the porpoises and dolphins.
2. Informal An impressive example: a whale of a story.
intr.v.whaled, whal·ing, whales
[Middle English, from Old English hwæl.]
whale 2
(wāl, hwāl)v.tr.1. To strike or hit repeatedly and forcefully; thrash.
v.intr.Whale Follows Mouse
1. To strike or hit a person or thing repeatedly and forcefully: whaled away at the plaster wall with a mallet.
2. To swing at a ball with great effort, especially repeatedly.
3. To attack vehemently: The poet whaled away at the critics.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
whale
(weɪl) n, plwhalesorwhale1. (Animals) 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 head.
2. (Animals) any cetacean mammal. See also toothed whale, whalebone whale
3. (Gambling, except Cards) slang a gambler who has the capacity to win and lose large sums of money in a casino
4. 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.
[Old English hwæl; related to Old Saxon, Old High German hwal, Old Norse hvalr, Latin squalus seapig]
whale
(weɪl)vb
[C18: variant of wale1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
whale1
(ʰweɪl, weɪl)n., pl. whales, (esp. collectively) whale,n.
1. any of the larger marine mammals of the order Cetacea, esp. as distinguished from the smaller dolphins, having a fishlike body, forelimbs modified into flippers, and a horizontally flattened head.
2. something big, great, or fine of its kind: I had a whale of a time in Europe.
v.i. 4. to engage in whaling or whale fishing.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English hwæl, c. Old High German wal, Old Norse hvalr]
whale2
(ʰweɪl, weɪl)v.t., v.i. whaled, whal•ing.
[1780–90; orig. uncertain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
whale
(wāl) Any of various, often large sea mammals that have a streamlined body resembling that of a fish, forelimbs shaped like flippers, a tail with horizontal flukes, and one or two blowholes for breathing. The mouths of whales are toothed or contain baleen.
Did You Know? In a submarine, you can ride down thousands of feet underwater. But if you swam outside it, the water pressure would crush you like a soda can. Amazingly, there are many animals that happily exist in such conditions. The sperm whale, for instance, may dive as deep as two miles with no ill effects. A male sperm whale is like a living tractor-trailer truck, almost 60 feet long and weighing 45 tons. Many adaptations allow the huge creature, and other deep-sea organisms, to function normally at great depths. One important strength is actually a weakness: unlike our rigid ribs, the whale's flexible ribcage allows its chest cavity to collapse in a controlled way as the pressure increases. Other adaptations control the way gases are stored in the blood. Unlike people, whales do not have to return to the surface gradually to avoid getting the bends—the sometimes deadly formation of nitrogen bubbles caused by expanding gas in the blood. Because of this adaptation, whales can swim up and down as fast as they like, undergoing tremendous variation in pressure, with no ill effects. It's all just water to them.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
whale
Past participle: whaled
Gerund: whaling
| Imperative |
|---|
| whale |
| whale |
| Present |
|---|
| I whale |
| you whale |
| he/she/it whales |
| we whale |
| you whale |
| they whale |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I whaled |
| you whaled |
| he/she/it whaled |
| we whaled |
| you whaled |
| they whaled |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am whaling |
| you are whaling |
| he/she/it is whaling |
| we are whaling |
| you are whaling |
| they are whaling |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have whaled |
| you have whaled |
| he/she/it has whaled |
| we have whaled |
| you have whaled |
| they have whaled |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was whaling |
| you were whaling |
| he/she/it was whaling |
| we were whaling |
| you were whaling |
| they were whaling |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had whaled |
| you had whaled |
| he/she/it had whaled |
| we had whaled |
| you had whaled |
| they had whaled |
| Future |
|---|
| I will whale |
| you will whale |
| he/she/it will whale |
| we will whale |
| you will whale |
| they will whale |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have whaled |
| you will have whaled |
| he/she/it will have whaled |
| we will have whaled |
| you will have whaled |
| they will have whaled |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be whaling |
| you will be whaling |
| he/she/it will be whaling |
| we will be whaling |
| you will be whaling |
| they will be whaling |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been whaling |
| you have been whaling |
| he/she/it has been whaling |
| we have been whaling |
| you have been whaling |
| they have been whaling |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been whaling |
| you will have been whaling |
| he/she/it will have been whaling |
| we will have been whaling |
| you will have been whaling |
| they will have been whaling |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been whaling |
| you had been whaling |
| he/she/it had been whaling |
| we had been whaling |
| you had been whaling |
| they had been whaling |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would whale |
| you would whale |
| he/she/it would whale |
| we would whale |
| you would whale |
| they would whale |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have whaled |
| you would have whaled |
| he/she/it would have whaled |
| we would have whaled |
| you would have whaled |
| they would have whaled |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
| Noun | 1. | whale - a very large person; impressive in size or qualities hulk, giant, heavyweight large person - a person of greater than average size |
| 2. | whale - any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head cetacean, cetacean mammal, blower - large aquatic carnivorous mammal with fin-like forelimbs no hind limbs, including: whales; dolphins; porpoises; narwhals baleen whale, whalebone whale - whale with plates of whalebone along the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water toothed whale - any of several whales having simple conical teeth and feeding on fish etc. Monodon monoceros, narwal, narwhal, narwhale - small Arctic whale the male having a long spiral ivory tusk | |
| Verb | 1. | whale - hunt for whales hunt, hunt down, track down, run - pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals); 'Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland'; 'The dogs are running deer'; 'The Duke hunted in these woods' |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
whale
nounRelated words
adjectivecetacean
malebull
femalecow
youngcalf
collective nounsschool, gam, run
adjectivecetacean
malebull
femalecow
youngcalf
collective nounsschool, gam, run
Whales and dolphins
beluga, baleen whale, blue whale or
sulphur-bottom, bottlenose dolphin, bowhead, dorado, Greenland whale, greyback or grey whale, humpback whale, killer whale, grampus, or orc, minke whale, narwhal, pilot whale, black whale, or blackfish, porpoise, right whale, rorqual, sei whale, sperm whale or cachalot, toothed whale, whalebone whale, white whaleCollins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
velryba
bálna
고래
banginio taukaibanginio ūsasbanginisdalginis delfinas
kit
ปลาวาฬ
cá voi
whale
[weɪl]A.N (whales or whale (pl)) → ballenaf
a whale of a difference → una enormediferencia
to have a whale of a time → pasarlo bombaor (S. Cone) regio
a whale of a difference → una enormediferencia
to have a whale of a time → pasarlo bombaor (S. Cone) regio
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
whale
[ˈhweɪl]n to have a whale of a time (= to have a great time) → s'amuser comme un(e) fou (folle)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
whale
n(inf)a whale of(= exceedingly great, good etc) → ein(e) riesige(r, s); a whale of a difference → ein himmelweiter Unterschied; a whale of a party → eine Wahnsinnsparty(inf); to have a whale of a time → sich primaamüsieren
whale
:whalebone
whale fishing
whaleman
whale oil
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
whale
[weɪl]n (Zool) → balenawe had a whale of a time (fam) → ci siamo divertiti da matti
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
whale
(Whale Game With Mouse
weil) noun a type of very large mammal that lives in the sea. walvis حوت кит baleia velryba der Wal hval φάλαιναballena vaal وال valas baleine לִוויָתָן समुद्र में रहने वाला अत्यंत विशाल स्तनधारी प्राणी, ह्वेल kit bálna paus hvalur balena 鯨 고래 banginis valis ikan paus walvishvalwieloryb baleia balenă кит veľryba kit kit val ปลาวาฬ balina 鯨 кит وہیل cá voi 鲸
killer whale noun a black and white whale. moordvis الحوت الأبيَض والأسْوَد косатка baleia assassina kosatka der Killerwal dræberhval όρκα, φάλαινα-δολοφόνος orca tapjavaal وال کشنده miekkavalas épaulard לִוויָתָן काला एवं सफेद ह्वेल kit ubojica kardszárnyú delfin ikan paus pembunuh balena しゃち 범고래 dalginis delfinas plēsoņdelfīns hitam dan putih ikan paus orka, zwaardwalvis spekkhoggerorkaкосатка kosatka dravá kit orka kit ubica späckhuggare ปลาวาฬเพชรฆาต katil balina 逆戟鯨, 虎鯨，殺人鯨 дельфін-косатка ایک قسم کی کالی اور سفید وہیل cá heo 逆戟鲸，虎鲸
ˈwhalebone noun, adjective (of) a light bendable substance got from the upper jaw of certain whales. walvisbeen مادَّة قَرْنِيَّه تَنْمو في الفَك عند الحيتان китова кост osso de baleia velrybí kostice das Fischbein barde μπανέλα barba de ballena vaalakius استخوان ارواره نهنگ valaanluu fanon de baleine עֶצֶם לִוויָתָן कुछ ह्वेल क ऊपरी जबड़े से मिलने वाला एक पदार्थ kitova kost halcsont tulang paus hvalskíði fanone, osso di balena 鯨のひげ 고래수염 banginio ūsas vaļa bārda tulang, insang paus baleinhvalbarde fiszbin osso de baleia fanon; os de balenă китовый ус veľrybia kostica ribja kost kitova kost valbard วัตถุแข็งที่ได้จากปากของปลาวาฬบางชนิด balina, balena 鯨鬚 китовий вус وہیل کی ہڈی phiến sừng ở hàm cá voi 鲸须
whale oil oil obtained from the fatty parts of a whale. walvisolie زَيْت الحوت китова мас óleo de baleia velrybí tuk der Walfischtran hvalolie λάδι φάλαινας aceite de ballena traan روغن وال valaanrasva huile de baleine שֶׁמֶן לִוויָתָן ह्वेल का तेल kitovo ulje bálnazsír minyak ikan hvallÿsi olio di balena 鯨油 고래 기름 banginio taukai vaļa tauki minyak ikan paus walvistraan hvalolje tran óleo de baleia ulei de balenă ворвань veľrybí tuk kitovo olje kitovo ulje valolja น้ำมันที่ได้จากไขมันของปลาวาฬ balina yağı 鯨油 ворвань, китовий жир وہیل کا تیل dầu cá voi 鲸油
have a whale of a time to enjoy oneself very much. geniet iets baie يَقْضي وَقتا مُمْتِعا جِدا изпитвам голямо удоволствие от divertir-se muito báječně se bavit sich köstlich amüsieren have det skægt διασκεδάζω με την ψυχή μου pasarlo pipa, pasarlo en grande lõbutsema از یکی زیاد لذت بردن pitää todella hauskaa s'amuser énormément תְבָלֵה הֵיטֵב खुब मजे लेना uživati kao nikad remekül szórakozik bersenang-senang skemmta sér konunglega (divertirsi molto) 楽しい思いをする 즐기다 linksmintis brīnišķīgi pavadīt laiku berseronok; bersuka ria zich vreselijk goed vermaken ha det kjempemoro wspaniale się bawić divertir-se muito a se amuza la culme замечательно провести время výborne sa zabávať blazno se zabavati uživati ha jättekul มีช่วงเวลาแห่งความตื่นเต้นยินดี çok eğlenmek 玩得非常愉快 чудово проводити час اپنے آپ میں مگن رہنا giải trí 玩得痛快
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
whale
→ حُوت velryba hvalWalφάλαιναballena valasbaleine kitbalena クジラ 고래walvis
hvalwielorybbaleiaкит val ปลาวาฬbalina cá voi鲸Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
Link to this page: