blue whale

American

[bloo hweyl, weyl] / ˈblu ˈʰweɪl, ˈweɪl /

noun

a migratory baleen whale, Balaenoptera musculus, mostly of oceans and seas in the Southern Hemisphere, the largest mammal ever known, growing to a length of 100 feet (30.5 meters) and having a furrowed, slate-blue skin mottled with lighter spots, in some seas acquiring a yellowish coating of diatoms on the underside: now classified as endangered, it was once hunted nearly to extinction, but international conservation efforts begun in the 1960s have enabled the blue whale population to rebound significantly.

blue whale British

noun

Also called: sulphur-bottom. the largest mammal: a widely distributed bluish-grey whalebone whale, Sibbaldus (or Balaenoptera ) musculus , closely related and similar to the rorquals: family Balaenopteridae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blue whale

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These days, transforming the asphalt landscape into a sandy oasis takes about a week, with almost 900 tonnes of sand – that's about six blue whales or 70 double-decker buses – trucked in.

From BBC

But one day, her mother had gone to investigate the contents of a blue whale’s stomach.

From Literature

So can the capital's wildlife compare to the broadcaster's encounters with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the mimicry of a lyrebird in Australia or a blue whale breaching beside his small boat?

From BBC

Other of Mr Lindon's tiny creations include unique animals crafted within the eye of a needle, from a blue whale to a delicate peacock butterfly.

From BBC

Sea slugs, corals, clams and sponges may not get as much of the spotlight as blue whales or sharks, but these curious creatures come with a host of unique, hard-to-believe abilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023