Illustration of right whale
right whale
noun
: any of several large baleen whales (family Balaenidae and especially genus Eubalaena) that lack a dorsal fin and have very long baleen plates, an extremely large head with a V-shaped blowhole, a smooth throat, short, broad, rounded flippers, and whitish protuberances of thickened skin about the head
Examples of right whale in a Sentence
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Though researchers logged no right whale deaths in the latest report, entanglements and vessel strikes remain a serious threat to the animals.
—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Four first-time North Atlantic right whale mothers had calves, according to Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, per ABC News.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
But there are still right whales from past years that remain entangled.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Gathering more accurate data about right whales while revising the original law would help protect the animals, Olsen said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for right whale
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N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Four first-time North Atlantic right whale mothers had calves, according to Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, per ABC News.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
But there are still right whales from past years that remain entangled.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Gathering more accurate data about right whales while revising the original law would help protect the animals, Olsen said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for right whale
Cite this Entry
“Right whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right%20whale. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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