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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Southern right whales, which are found throughout the Southern Hemisphere, are considered endangered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 July 2024
For example, researchers have noticed that about 40 percent of North Atlantic right whales (which are endangered) are now spending their summers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, west of Newfoundland—an area with heavy shipping and fishing.
—Josh Axelrod, Scientific American, 26 June 2024
What happened during the winter 2023-2024 right whale calving season?
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 25 May 2024
Fishermen’s prospects are further hampered by efforts to erect windmill farms and to save the planet’s last three hundred and sixty or so North Atlantic right whales, which can get tangled in fishing ropes.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for right whale 
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 July 2024
For example, researchers have noticed that about 40 percent of North Atlantic right whales (which are endangered) are now spending their summers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, west of Newfoundland—an area with heavy shipping and fishing.
—Josh Axelrod, Scientific American, 26 June 2024
What happened during the winter 2023-2024 right whale calving season?
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 25 May 2024
Fishermen’s prospects are further hampered by efforts to erect windmill farms and to save the planet’s last three hundred and sixty or so North Atlantic right whales, which can get tangled in fishing ropes.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for right whale
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'right whale.' 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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“Right whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right%20whale. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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