orca

orca — noun

1. a large black-and-white sea mammal from the dolphin family that hunts fish and o

1.nounA2
Definition

a large black-and-white sea mammal from the dolphin family that hunts fish and other sea animals

Example

An orca rose beside our boat and blew water into the air.

see an orca from a boat

The children watched an orca chase seals near the ice.

watch an orca chase prey

Common collocations
  • baby orca
  • wild orca
  • orca pod
  • see an orca
  • watch orcas hunt
Synonyms
  • killer whale

    the standard everyday name for exactly the same animal

  • whale

    a much broader everyday word for many large sea mammals

  • cetacean

    a formal scientific term covering whales, dolphins, and porpoises

  • marine mammal

    a very broad term that also includes animals such as seals

Grammar Patterns

see an orca

watch orcas hunt

baby orca

orca pod

Usage Note

Usually countable. The plural is often orcas in ordinary use. Killer whale is the more familiar everyday name, while orca is common in documentaries, science writing, and news reports.

Common Mistakes

An orca is a kind of shark.
An orca is a kind of whale.
An orca is a sea mammal, not a fish.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Orca and killer whale name the same animal, but killer whale is usually the more everyday choice. Orca often sounds a little more scientific or documentary-like. Whale is much broader, so it does not tell the listener which species you mean. Dolphin can be confusing here: biologically, an orca belongs to the dolphin family, but in ordinary English dolphin usually suggests a smaller animal with a different look. Cetacean is the most formal word of these and is mainly used in science or education. Use orca when you want the exact species without the stronger tone of killer whale. For example, We saw an orca near the boat. In class, you might say Orcas are cetaceans.

orca ↗killer whalewhale ↗dolphin ↗cetacean

Common collocations

Nouns

  • baby orca
  • orca pod
  • wild orca

Phrases

  • see an orca
  • watch orcas hunt
  • follow orcas along the coast

Etymology

LatinNew LatinEnglish

Orca came into modern English through scientific Latin naming, from Latin orca, a word for a kind of whale. English first used it mainly as a formal animal name, which is why orca can still sound a little more scientific than killer whale today.