to whale
- verb
- /weɪl/
- Since then, a small number of countries have continued to whale under scientific permits.
It's to figure out the meaning of the universe through going whaling and having a confrontation with his tormentor, this whale, Moby Dick.
- It's to figure out the meaning of the universe through going whaling and having a confrontation with his tormentor, this whale, Moby Dick.
Examples
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However, if we take whales out of the equation, much as centuries of commercial whaling did, this natural system starts to break down.
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The previous section outlines a very large number of changes affecting the Inupiat Eskimos as they whale, hunt game, fish, and gather greens and berries.
Academic text (2007) -
Commercial factory whaling has never been their culture.
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OK, we jump on a Japanese whaling ship and listen to the sound of slaughtering whales.
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Some communities still whale despite international bans on the practice.
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The crew prepared their equipment to whale during the next fishing expedition.
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The decision to whale was controversial among environmental groups.
Synonyms
To kill animals for meat
To strike, wound, or kill an animal with a long barbed spear
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To try to reach a very difficult or impossible goal for a long time
Compounds
A very large fish with white spots that moves slowly and eats tiny sea animals and plants
A very large whale with baleen that lives in cold coastal waters and is endangered
A large whale with a flat head, long body and small back fin found in the Atlantic and Pacific
- Specialized
A medium-sized whale with a long narrow snout that dives deep in oceans
- Offensive
A dangerous online challenge that encouraged people to do harmful tasks, sometimes leading to self-harm
- Specialized
A very large whale that lives in Arctic waters with a curved mouth and big body
- US
A small whale like the beluga that is white as an adult and lives in very cold northern waters
- Specialized
A very small sperm whale that lives in warm and cool seas and grows to about 8 feet long
A large whale with baleen plates, a flat head, and throat ridges that lives in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
- Archaic
A large whale that uses thin, brush-like plates in its mouth to filter tiny sea animals from water
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb whale meaning 'to hunt whales' comes from the name of the animal whale, and it refers to catching these animals for their oil, meat, or other products.