killer whale
noun
: a relatively small toothed whale (Orcinus orca of the family Delphinidae) that is black above with white underparts and white oval-shaped patches behind the eyes, attains a length of 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters), typically hunts in groups, and preys chiefly on sea mammals (such as seals, sea lions, and other whales), large fish, and squid
called also orca
Examples of killer whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Read Next 50-year-old man tried to ‘body slam’ killer whale, officials say.
—
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 May 2024
But the yacht will be lucky: The killer whales are nowhere to be seen.
—Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
The country's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility prepared a list of things to do in case boats or yachts meet a pack of killer whales at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
Northern resident killer whales are still threatened, but doing better with about 300 individual whales.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 May 2024
In 2020, researchers on a charter boat in Alaska spotted a killer whale with the same condition.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2024
Malnutrition, killer whale predation, entanglement and vessel strike were listed as the leading causes of death.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
Another famously white killer whale, nicknamed Chimo, suffered from Chediak-Higashi Syndrome and died from complications of the condition in the early 1970s.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2024
Canadian whale enthusiast Sarah Seebach spent months visiting the coastline of British Columbia in the hopes of spotting killer whales.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 May 2024
But the yacht will be lucky: The killer whales are nowhere to be seen.
—Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
The country's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility prepared a list of things to do in case boats or yachts meet a pack of killer whales at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
Northern resident killer whales are still threatened, but doing better with about 300 individual whales.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 May 2024
In 2020, researchers on a charter boat in Alaska spotted a killer whale with the same condition.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2024
Malnutrition, killer whale predation, entanglement and vessel strike were listed as the leading causes of death.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
Another famously white killer whale, nicknamed Chimo, suffered from Chediak-Higashi Syndrome and died from complications of the condition in the early 1970s.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2024
Canadian whale enthusiast Sarah Seebach spent months visiting the coastline of British Columbia in the hopes of spotting killer whales.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'killer 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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“Killer whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer%20whale. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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