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Definition of basking shark

basking shark

Plural:basking sharks
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• noun

1

A large, slow-moving, filter-feeding shark (Cetorhinus maximus) found in temperate oceans globally, known as the second-largest living fish, distinguished by its habit of swimming close to the surface with its massive mouth open to catch plankton.

Example

"While conducting marine surveys off the coast of Scotland, the researchers observed a massive basking shark slowly filtering zooplankton near the surface."

• Nearby Words

basketweave
basketweaver
basketwork
basking shark
basmati
basque
basra

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Basking shark. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/basking-shark
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