noun
porpoise
PAW-puhs
noun
1
A small whale-like marine mammal related to dolphins, with a blunt snout.
"A pod of porpoises followed the ferry across the bay."
verb
1
To repeatedly leap out of the water and dive back in while swimming, in the manner of a porpoise.
"The dolphins porpoised alongside the boat."
How to Use Porpoise
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small, dolphin-like sea mammal, or the leaping-and-diving motion associated with it.
Common mistake
Porpoises and dolphins are different families — porpoises have blunter snouts and flatter, spade-shaped teeth.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
porpoised past tense, porpoises plural, porpoises singular
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Etymology
From Old French porpois, from Vulgar Latin porcopiscis, literally "hog-fish" — from porcus ("pig") and piscis ("fish").