好词典

whale

UK //weɪl//US //weɪl//

词源

源自古英语 'hwæl',与古挪威语 'hvalr' 和德语 'Wal' 同源,可能源自原始日耳曼语词根,意为'大鱼'或'海洋生物'。

noun

❶ 鲸鱼,生活在海洋中的大型哺乳动物,体型庞大,是地球上现存最大的动物之一。

“We saw a huge whale jumping out of the water during our boat trip.”

(我们在乘船旅行时看到一只巨大的鲸鱼跃出水面。)

“The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth.”

(蓝鲸是地球上最大的动物。)

同义词:cetacean, leviathan, marine mammal

verb

❶ 猛烈打击或攻击某人或某物,通常指用拳头或重物。

“He whaled the ball out of the park with a powerful swing.”

(他用力一挥,把球打出了球场。)

“The boxer whaled his opponent with a series of punches.”

(拳击手用一连串的拳头猛击对手。)

同义词:thrash, beat, pound

常见短语

a whale of a time — 表示玩得非常开心,度过了一段极其愉快的时光。

“We had a whale of a time at the beach party.”

(我们在海滩派对上玩得非常开心。)

whale on — 持续猛烈地击打某人或某物。

“The kids were whaling on the piñata at the birthday party.”

(孩子们在生日派对上不停地击打皮纳塔。)