Dorsal Fin Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

dorsal fin American

noun

1. the fin or finlike integumentary expansion generally developed on the back of aquatic vertebrates.

dorsal fin British

noun

1. any unpaired median fin on the backs of fishes and some other aquatic vertebrates: maintains balance during locomotion

"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

Etymology

Origin of dorsal fin

First recorded in 1760–70

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.

"One of the sightings reported a group of single male outer coast orcas slapping each other with their dorsal fins and charging at inner coast females."

From Science Daily

They crawled around blowholes and dorsal fins, and soon each human was sitting on the back of their very own whale.

From Literature

Each encounter was carefully recorded, and the individual orcas were identified by markings on their dorsal fins.

From Science Daily

"A dorsal fin slowly broke the surface revealing that familiar profile that looked like a shark," he said.

From BBC

Winter had put a life vest on the dog resembling a shark, with a dorsal fin protruding from its back.

From Los Angeles Times

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.