Illustration of dolphin
- dolphin 1a
1
a
: any of various small marine toothed whales (family Delphinidae) with the snout more or less elongated into a beak and the neck vertebrae partially fused
Note: While not closely related, dolphins and porpoises share a physical resemblance that often leads to misidentification. Dolphins typically have cone-shaped teeth, curved dorsal fins, and elongated beaks with large mouths, while porpoises have flat, spade-shaped teeth, triangular dorsal fins, and shortened beaks with smaller mouths.
b
: any of several related chiefly freshwater toothed whales (as of the families Platanistidae and Iniidae) : river dolphin
2
3
capitalized
: delphinus
4
: a spar or buoy for mooring boats
also
: a cluster of closely driven piles used as a fender for a dock or as a mooring or guide for boats
Examples of dolphin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some programs offer treatment through equine therapy, group nature hikes, sunset yoga and ocean therapy, which includes surfing and swimming with dolphins.
—
Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 4 July 2024
By the time rescue teams arrived on the scene Friday, 10 dolphins had already died.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
During the earlier low tide shortly before 11:30 a.m., the marine mammal rescue team, while on foot, attempted to herd the dolphins out of the estuary and into the deeper waters offshore, according to the fund.
—Raja Razek, CNN, 28 June 2024
The designer also worked his signature sawtooth stripe into fabrics and created a wallpaper mural called Pygmalion, a grand, theatrical design with curtains, a classical temple, giant artichokes, Rococo dolphins, fennel, garlic bulbs and mollusk shells, strings of pearls and feathers.
—Samantha Conti, WWD, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dolphin 
Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 4 July 2024
By the time rescue teams arrived on the scene Friday, 10 dolphins had already died.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
During the earlier low tide shortly before 11:30 a.m., the marine mammal rescue team, while on foot, attempted to herd the dolphins out of the estuary and into the deeper waters offshore, according to the fund.
—Raja Razek, CNN, 28 June 2024
The designer also worked his signature sawtooth stripe into fabrics and created a wallpaper mural called Pygmalion, a grand, theatrical design with curtains, a classical temple, giant artichokes, Rococo dolphins, fennel, garlic bulbs and mollusk shells, strings of pearls and feathers.
—Samantha Conti, WWD, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dolphin
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dolphin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dolphin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dolphin. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dolphin
noun
dol·phin
ˈdäl-fən 
ˈdȯl-
1
a
: any of various small whales with teeth and a long nose
b
2
: either of two active saltwater food fishes noted for their brilliant coloring
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