What does "whale" mean?
Any one of numerous large marine mammals comprising an informal group within infraorder Cetacea that usually excludes dolphins and porpoises.
Whale
/weɪl/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any one of numerous large marine mammals comprising an informal group within infraorder Cetacea that usually excludes dolphins and porpoises.
- Grammar: whale is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: alevin, angle, bait the hook, balaena.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, concede, lose.
- Usage evidence: We are having a whale of a time.
How to use "whale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "whale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "whale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "whale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "whale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "whale" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "alevin" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "whale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any one of numerous large marine mammals comprising an informal group within infraorder Cetacea that usually excludes dolphins and porpoises.
"And God created great whales, and euery liuing creature that moueth, which the waters brought forth aboundantly after their kinde, and euery winged foule after his kinde: and God saw that it was good."
- 2 any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head wordnet
- 3 Any species of Cetacea. broadly
"The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.[…]It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber."
- 4 a very large person; impressive in size or qualities wordnet
- 5 Something, or someone, that is very large. figuratively
"It was a whale of a job. […] It took two months, and the fair blush of youth off my cheeks."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Something, or someone, that is excellent. figuratively
"My own father only wrote one poem in his life as far as I know, but it was a whale of a lyric, the kind you would give your whole life to write, which he did, but that is another story."
- 7 A gambler who routinely wagers large amounts of money. figuratively
"These are often no-limit games as maximum bets cramp a whale’s style."
- 8 An investor who deals with very large amounts of money. figuratively, informal
"If the banks knew how big Archegos’s position was, they may have realized other banks were supplying it with the same leverage — and reconsidered the trade. But a set of worrisome regulatory loopholes kept them from detecting this lurking whale."
- 9 A person who spends large amounts of money on things that are marketed to them. figuratively
"Whales are the big spenders who drop huge amounts of money into a game."
- 10 An overweight person (usually a woman) colloquial, derogatory, figuratively
"The whale is still snoring. He's a real beauty, the whale. Got this thick curly hair all over his chest and stomach and legs."
Verb
- 1 To hunt for whales. intransitive
- 2 To thrash, to flog, to beat vigorously or soundly. slang, transitive
"Brought him back, put him in the stall—low stable—got out of his reach, and then begun to whale him. Then he kicked up agin; […]"
- 3 hunt for whales wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A hamlet in Lowther parish, Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, previously in Eden district (OS grid ref NY5221).
Example
"We are having a whale of a time."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "whale"?
Common synonyms include: alevin, angle, bait the hook, balaena, bash, baste.
How do you use "whale" in a sentence?
We are having a whale of a time.
How do you pronounce "whale"?
Pronounced /weɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos Proto-Germanic *hwalaz Proto-West Germanic *hwal Old English hwæl Middle English whal English whale From Middle English whal, whale, from Old English hwæl (“whale”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (“whale”) (compare German Wal, Swedish val, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hval, Norwegian Nynorsk kval; compare also Dutch walvis, West Frisian walfisk, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”) (compare German Wels, Latin squalus (“big sea fish”), Old Prussian kalis, Ancient Greek ἄσπαλος (áspalos), Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬭𐬀 (kara, “kind of fish”)).
Etymology 2
Uncertain. Perhaps a variant of wale influenced by whack, whap, etc.