whaler

Everyday

1. A ship used for hunting whales. tree →
2. A person who hunts whales, especially on such a ship. tree →
3. A whaleboat, a long narrow rowing boat. tree →

In the lessons

Used in history and stories, such as "Moby-Dick". Whalers once hunted whales for oil, meat and bone. Today most countries have banned commercial whaling to protect whales, though a few countries still allow some. In history and geography lessons, places like Nantucket (USA) and Hobart (Australia) were whaling ports. Phrases: "an old whaler", "whaler's harpoon".

Examples

• The old whaler sailed from Nantucket in 1840. tree →
• The whalers rowed out with their harpoons. tree →
• Today most countries protect whales from whalers. tree →
• In the museum we saw a whaler's harpoon. tree →
• Captain Ahab in "Moby-Dick" is a whaler. tree →
• The whaler came home after three years at sea. tree →

Note

Countable: a whaler, whalers. Homophone trap: "whaler" and "wailer" (someone wailing) sound alike. Whaling is the activity; a whaler is the ship or the person.