whale
A whale swims near the surface of the ocean and spouts water from its blowhole.
Noun:
- A large marine mammal: A whale is any of the very large aquatic mammals that are cetaceans, have a streamlined body, breathe air through a blowhole, and are not fish.
- An exceptionally large or impressive person or thing: Used informally to describe a person who is very large in size or something that is impressive in scale or qualities.
Verb:
- To hunt for whales: The act of pursuing and catching whales, typically for their oil, meat, or other products.
- Noun (Marine Mammal):
- The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth.
- We saw a pod of whales migrating off the coast.
- Noun (Large Person/Thing):
- He's a whale of a man, towering over everyone else.
- The new skyscraper is a real whale of a building.
- Verb:
- In the 19th century, many ships would whale in the Arctic Ocean.
- International agreements now restrict the right to whale.
"a whale of a...": An informal idiom used to emphasize that something is very large, great, or impressive.
- She told a whale of a story that had us all captivated.
- We had a whale of a time at the party last night. (Meaning: We had an excellent, very enjoyable time.)
"a whale on/at/for something": An informal expression for someone who is very skilled at or very fond of something.
- He's a real whale at chess; he beats everyone.
- She's a whale for classical music and attends every concert.
- Whaling (noun): The industry or practice of hunting whales.
- The history of whaling is controversial due to its impact on whale populations.
- Whaler (noun): A person or ship involved in hunting whales.
- The old whaler sailed into the harbor.
- Noun (Mammal): Cetacean, leviathan (poetic/literary).
- Noun (Large thing): Giant, behemoth, colossus, titan.
- Verb: Hunt whales, go whaling.
(Note: "Whale" as a verb in this hunting sense does not commonly form phrasal verbs. The following is an informal, separate usage.) - Whale on (informal, different meaning): To hit or strike repeatedly and forcefully. - The boxer began to whale on his opponent in the final round.(This is a distinct, informal verb meaning not directly related to the marine mammal.)
- "Very like a whale": A phrase from Shakespeare's , sometimes used to mean an absurd or nonsensical description.
- "To have a whale of a time": As shown in Advanced Usage, this is the most common idiom, meaning to enjoy oneself immensely.
A whale swims near the surface of the ocean and spouts water from its blowhole.
- any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head
- a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
- hunt for whales