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porpoise

American  
[pawr-puhs] / ˈpɔr pəs /

noun

plural

porpoise,

plural

porpoises

  1. any of several small, gregarious cetacean mammals of the genus Phocoena, usually blackish above and paler beneath, and having a blunt, rounded snout, especially the common porpoise, P. phocoena, of both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

  2. any of several small cetacean mammals, as the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis.

verb (used without object)

porpoised, porpoising

  1. (of a speeding motorboat) to leap clear of the water after striking a wave.

  2. (of a torpedo) to appear above the surface of the water.

  3. to move forward with a rising and falling motion in the manner of a porpoise.

    The car has a tendency to porpoise when overloaded.
porpoise British  
/ ˈpɔːpəs /

noun

  1. any of various small cetacean mammals of the genus Phocaena and related genera, having a blunt snout and many teeth: family Delphinidae (or Phocaenidae )

  2. (not in technical use) any of various related cetaceans, esp the dolphin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • porpoiselike adjective

Etymology

Origin of porpoise

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English porpoys, from Middle French porpois, from unattested Vulgar Latin porcopiscis “hog fish,” for Latin porcus marīnus “sea hog”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 2019, Canada passed a bill making it illegal to hold a whale, dolphin or porpoise captive.

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2025

There has also been community involvement in the porpoise preservation push.

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2025

While they would not have feasted on porpoise, a goose or pig would have been heartily consumed in a time when meat was too expensive for most people to eat regularly.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2024

Henry V of Shakespearean fame, hosted a feast that offered 40 different types of fish, including roast porpoise.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2024

A minor groundswell sounded behind the shower curtain, as though a rather delinquent porpoise were suddenly at play.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.