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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

porpoise

/ˈpɔːɹpəs/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does porpoise mean?

noun

  1. A small cetacean of the family Phocoenidae, related to dolphins and whales.
  2. Any small dolphin.

verb

  1. Said of an air-breathing aquatic animal such as a porpoise or penguin: To repeatedly jump out of the water to take a breath and dive back in a continuous motion.
More meanings (1)

verb

  1. Said of an aircraft: to make a series of plunges when taking off or landing; or of a watercraft: to successively plunge up and down in the water.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈpɔːɹpəs/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Soon after the Porpoise came in, and I joined my old craft, giving up my command of the captured slaver rather reluctantly.
VariousThe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1995, Memorial IssueProject Gutenberg ebook #206
One day when I was humming a favorite chant, I think it was "Babylon's a-Fallin'," a porpoise jumped higher than the bowsprit.
Joshua SlocumSailing Alone Around the WorldProject Gutenberg ebook #6317
More book examples (3)
To see a porpoise in your dreams, denotes enemies are thrusting your interest aside, through your own inability to keep people interested in you.
Gustavus Hindman MillerTen Thousand Dreams Interpreted; Or, What's in a Dream A Scientific and Practical ExpositionProject Gutenberg ebook #926
We have none of these in Behar, but the huge porpoise gives splendid rifle or carbine practice as he rolls through the turgid streams.
James InglisSport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo PlanterProject Gutenberg ebook #10818
The porpoise is the kitten of the sea; he never has a serious thought, he cares for nothing but fun and play.
Mark TwainFollowing the Equator: A Journey Around the WorldProject Gutenberg ebook #2895