Illustration of dolphin
- dolphin 1a
1
a
: any of various small marine toothed whales (family Delphinidae) with the snout more or less elongated into a beak and the neck vertebrae partially fused
Note: While not closely related, dolphins and porpoises share a physical resemblance that often leads to misidentification. Dolphins typically have cone-shaped teeth, curved dorsal fins, and elongated beaks with large mouths, while porpoises have flat, spade-shaped teeth, triangular dorsal fins, and shortened beaks with smaller mouths.
b
: any of several related chiefly freshwater toothed whales (as of the families Platanistidae and Iniidae) : river dolphin
2
3
capitalized
: delphinus
4
: a spar or buoy for mooring boats
also
: a cluster of closely driven piles used as a fender for a dock or as a mooring or guide for boats
Examples of dolphin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is the same enclosure in which the first three dolphins who died, Nate (20), Gus (14) and Turk (15), lived.
—
Dylan Gentile, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
The thick mats provide shade and shelter for small fish and forage items, and large fish like dolphin flock to them to feast.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025
Those fish are then eaten by seals, sea lions and dolphins.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Lost or abandoned underwater fishing nets continue to trap everything in their path, from fish to turtles and dolphins, and harm delicate ecosystems.
—Claire Poole, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dolphin
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Dylan Gentile, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
The thick mats provide shade and shelter for small fish and forage items, and large fish like dolphin flock to them to feast.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025
Those fish are then eaten by seals, sea lions and dolphins.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Lost or abandoned underwater fishing nets continue to trap everything in their path, from fish to turtles and dolphins, and harm delicate ecosystems.
—Claire Poole, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dolphin
Cite this Entry
“Dolphin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dolphin. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dolphin
noun
dol·phin
ˈdäl-fən 
ˈdȯl-
1
a
: any of various small whales with teeth and a long nose
b
2
: either of two active saltwater food fishes noted for their brilliant coloring
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