Illustration of sperm whale
: a very large toothed whale (Physeter macrocephalus synonym P. catodon) that has large conical teeth in the lower jaw, a single blowhole, and a massive squarish head with a closed cavity containing a fluid mixture of spermaceti and oil, and that may reach a length in the male of nearly 60 feet (18.3 meters)
Examples of sperm whale in a Sentence
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More folk are looking for escapes that take them to the most remote corners of earth—many of which these larger animals like humpback whales, sperm whales, and giant manta rays call home.
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Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
The Children’s Museum and its preschool were housed in a building in the town’s center alongside its lifesize statue of Conny the sperm whale.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
The story follows a scuba diver in search of his deceased father’s remains who gets swallowed by an 80-foot, 60-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
In 1970, a dead sperm whale washed up on the beach in Florence, Oregon.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
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Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
The Children’s Museum and its preschool were housed in a building in the town’s center alongside its lifesize statue of Conny the sperm whale.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
The story follows a scuba diver in search of his deceased father’s remains who gets swallowed by an 80-foot, 60-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
In 1970, a dead sperm whale washed up on the beach in Florence, Oregon.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sperm whale
Cite this Entry
“Sperm whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sperm%20whale. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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