Whale Definition: Meaning, Usage, and Practice

Look at some of the cases of implementing the “whale” word into sentences to convey various meanings, express what you feel or think, and generally broaden your language horizons.

To define “whale,” you need to dive deeper into the topic of synonymous expressions connected with this word, since such an approach will greatly boost your vocabulary, giving your written and spoken English additional flexibility.

Related nouns: pod orca humpback migration

Synonyms (contextual): No, it is a specific noun

Common collocations: whale calf whale conservation whale fluke breaching whales

You already know how to spell “whale” and what other connected words are, but what about making some collocations on your own? In this section, you can see some of the examples to get you started, so go through them to get the point.

With adjectives: giant whale majestic whale young whale silent whale

With verbs: protect whales feed whales study whales look at whales

With nouns (noun + noun): whale observer whale tracker whale ecosystem whale habitat

The word “whale” can describe various situations and be used in various ways to express mood, different situations, or even some general problems.

• To have a whale of a time — To have a really great, fun, or exciting time.

  We went to the concert last night and had a whale of a time dancing and singing along.

• Whale in the room — A play on “elephant in the room,” it refers to a huge, obvious issue or problem that people avoid talking about.

  During the meeting, no one mentioned the budget cuts — it was the whale in the room.

• Hit the whale — Used metaphorically to mean hitting something big, often referring to a major success or jackpot (similar to “hit the jackpot”).

  Their new app really hit the whale when it went viral overnight.

Let us check how you can define whale and what you have learned today by completing this intellectual game!

Discover how to say “whale” in Spanish, French and German to learn more about other language cultures.

The description of “whale” may seem pretty simple and straightforward at first glance, but have you ever thought about the importance of these animals for the planet or what unique features they have? Let’s discover them!

• The mysterious concerts beneath the waves

  Humpback whales hit out songs for 30 minutes, interspersed with melodies that could almost pass for music. These songs can travel across vast distances underwater, connecting whales separated by many miles. Scientists speculate that these could serve to communicate, lure a mate, or guide navigation through the oceans.

• The greatest giants ever to roam the earth

  The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived, even bigger than the largest dinosaurs. It grows well up to 30 meters in length and weighs nearly 200 tons, truly an ocean titan! Despite its big size, it mainly feeds on tiny krill, proving how small can nurture the big.

• Gardeners of the sea

  Although it may sound funny, whale waste plays a vital role in keeping the ocean alive. It carries nutrients that fertilize plankton, tiny creatures that constitute the basis of the marine food web. Since plankton, at the same time, produces most of the Earth’s oxygen, whales aid every form of living on the planet to breathe indirectly.

• Fearless divers into the darkness of the ocean

  Sperm whales conduct extreme deep dives, reaching depths close to 3,000 meters below the ocean surface. Holding their breath for one and a half hours, they endure extreme pressure, searching for giant squid in dark ocean trenches, thus becoming legendary deep-sea explorers.

• Super milk for super babies

  Mother whales produce such thick and heavy milk that it has been compared to the texture of toothpaste. This special milk helps calves grow incredibly quickly, sometimes gaining 90 kilograms in just one day. Such rapid growth gives the young whales the strength they need to face predators and long migrations.

The word “whale” has become a part of various sayings and portrays a great variety of interesting meanings that people put in while expressing their thoughts and feelings.

— Bill Bryson

Explanation: We are told here that intelligence is not just a matter of having bigger brains. Whales and elephants have bigger brains than humans, but intelligence is a matter of complexity and adaptability rather than measurement. Bryson is having fun with the thought of whales failing in some imponderable task, say, contract negotiations.

— Mehmet Murat Ildan

Explanation: This is a metaphor concerning perspective and wisdom. To the great ocean, even a gigantic whale appears a mere speck; likewise, to the competent mind, even a very small thing assumes significance. The line “Sun hides in the candle” conveys that, through the eyes of philosophy, immense power or deep meaning can be vested in something small.

— Paul Watson

Explanation: Watson stresses the moral priority of living beings over man-made objects. Ships can be replaced if they are lost. However, whales, being unique creatures, cannot be replaced and would face permanent extinction. This puts into perspective the urgent issue of valuing life over material possessions.