gray whale

noun

A baleen whale, Eschrichtius robustus, from the north Pacific

Similar
grayback whalegraybackCalifornia gray whalePacific gray whaleKorean gray whaledesert whalescrag whaleripsack
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noungray whale (plural gray whales)

plural gray whales · alternative grey whale

  1. A baleen whale, Eschrichtius robustus, from the north Pacific

    Synonyms: grayback whale, grayback, California gray whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, desert whale, scrag whale, ripsack

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA baleen whale, Eschrichtius robustus, from the north Pacific

Similar
grayback whalegraybackCalifornia gray whalePacific gray whaleKorean gray whaledesert whalescrag whaleripsackmussel diggerdevilfish

More synonyms by meaning

nounmedium-sized greyish-black whale of the northern Pacific

Similar
grey whaledevilfishEschrichtius gibbosusEschrichtius robustus
Broader
baleen whalewhalebone whale
Also see
devilfish

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Disputed. Either from the whale’s coloration, or after British zoologist John Edward Gray, who first recognized it as a distinct genus in 1864.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Grauwal
  • GrauwalTranslations
Polish pływacz szary, wal szary
  • pływacz szaryTranslations
  • wal szaryTranslations
Russian се́рый кит, калифорни́йский кит
  • се́рый кит (séryj kit)Translations
  • калифорни́йский кит (kaliforníjskij kit)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

gray whale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gray%20whale

MLA

“gray whale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gray%20whale. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gray whale,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gray%20whale.

Source: gray whale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.