Meanings
nounfail whale (plural fail whales)
plural fail whales
- InternetAn image of a whale that formerly accompanied certain error messages on the Twitter microblogging website.
Origin
The fail whale originated on Twitter; the term was coined by web designer Jen Simmons in 2007 in a tweet.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
fail whale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fail%20whale
MLA
“fail whale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fail%20whale. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fail whale,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fail%20whale.
Source: fail whale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.