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whaler

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whaler¹

  • /ˈweɪlə/ UK
  • /ˈweɪlɚ/ US
  • /ˈhweɪlɚ/
  • /ˈhweɪlə/

Sounds like wailer (wine–whine merger) · Rhymes with -eɪlə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From whale + -er. In sense 1, displaced Old English hwælhunta (literally “whale hunter”).

noun whalers

  1. One who hunts whales; any person employed in the whaling industry. Near-synonym: whaleman

    Similar: whaleman

  2. A seagoing vessel used for hunting whales. Near-synonym: whaleship

    Similar: whaleship

  3. One who whales (flogs or beats).
  4. slang A large, strong person.
  5. slang Something of unusually great size, a whopper, a whacker.
  6. Australia Any shark of the family Carcharhinidae; a requiem shark. The whalers (or requiem sharks) are one of the largest and best known family of sharks. Worldwide there are 48 species in 12 genera. However, relatively few species are on the Great Barrier Reef.
  7. Australia, dated, slang A sundowner; one who cruises about. the nomad, “the whaler,” it is who will find the new order hostile to his vested interest of doing nothing.

Whaler²

Where it comes from

Variant of Wheeler.

proper noun Whalers

  1. A surname.

Translations

Every language

noun person who hunts whales

Españolballenero
Portuguêsbaleeiro
Françaischasseur de baleine, chasseuse de baleine
DeutschWalfänger, Walfängerin
Italianobaleniere
Ελληνικάφαλαινοθήρας falainothíras
Русскийкитобо́й kitobój

noun vessel for hunting whales

Españolballenero
Portuguêsbaleeiro
Françaisbaleinier
Italianobaleniera
Ελληνικάφαλαινοθηρικό falainothirikó
עבריתסְפִינַת לִוְיְתָנִים sfinat livyetanim, סְפִינַת צֵיד לִוְיְתָנִים sfinat tseyd livyetanim

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MLA

"whaler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whaler. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

whaler. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whaler

Chicago

"whaler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whaler.

BibTeX
@misc{whaler_2026,
  title = {whaler},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whaler},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}