# whaling

Pronunciation: US say "WAY-ling" /ˈweɪlɪŋ/; UK

## Noun

1. The hunting of whales, typically for oil, meat, or baleen.
   - Simple: The hunting of whales for meat, oil, or other useful parts.
   - _Commercial whaling drove several species to the brink of extinction._
   - _The town's economy depended on whaling throughout the nineteenth century._
3. A severe beating or thrashing. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A hard beating or set of blows given to someone.
   - _The champion handed his opponent a thorough whaling in the ring._
   - _She threatened the kids with a whaling if they didn't behave._
4. A highly personalized cyberattack directed at a senior business executive.
   - Simple: A type of online attack that targets a top company boss to steal money or secrets.
   - _Security analysts traced the whaling back to a single forged email._
   - _Executives are prime targets for whaling because of their access to company funds._
5. The practice of locating and observing whales, typically from shore or a boat.
   - Simple: The activity of looking for and watching whales out at sea.
   - _Coastal whaling draws naturalists and photographers every migration season._
   - _The guide led a morning of whaling along the rugged shoreline._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of whale. — present participle and gerund of whale
   - Simple: Present participle of whale. Use this form for an action happening now or as a name for the activity.
   - _The fleet was whaling in Arctic waters when the storm hit._
   - _Whaling through the night, the sailors filled the hold with oil._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/whaling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).