to porpoise
8.1
To jump out of the water and dive back while moving forward
- verb
- /ˈpɔːr.pəs/
:
saltar fuera del agua
- The children laughed as they watched the seal porpoise gracefully through the waves.
Examples
-
The young dolphin played alongside the boat, frequently porpoising to catch the sunlight.
-
He half porpoise, I think, huh?
-
He went on, "This is what dolphins do, bowing or porpoising as if they're going through a hoop."
Fiction book (2002) -
As we boarded the skiff and headed for the tugboat, the bear swam alongside and seemed to be porpoising as he swam.
Academic text (2001) -
As the swimmer reached the buoy, she began to porpoise, leaping out of the water before diving back in.
Compounds
harbor porpoise
- Specialized
5.9
A small sea animal like a dolphin that lives near coasts in the northern Atlantic and Pacific
How Often
Surface Forms
porpoise infinitive
porpoised past
porpoised past participle
porpoising present participle
porpoises third person singular
Etymology
The verb porpoise comes from the animal porpoise, which often 'leaps' out of the water. So to porpoise is to move forward by repeatedly leaping out of and diving back into the water.