large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii)
"The dolphin, a large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas especially around Hawaii, was caught by the local fishermen."
any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises
"The pod of dolphins swam gracefully through the warm ocean waters, their sleek bodies and beaklike snouts easily distinguished from nearby porpoises."
A carnivorous aquatic mammal in one of several families of order Cetacea, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans.
"The harbor master ordered the installation of a dolphin near the entrance to keep large vessels away from the dangerous shoals."
A man-made semi submerged maritime structure, usually installed to provide a fixed structure for temporary mooring, to prevent ships from drifting to shallow water or to serve as base for navigational aids.
In plain English: A dolphin is an intelligent, friendly sea mammal that swims fast and uses sound to find its way around underwater.
"We saw several dolphins jumping out of the water while we were swimming at the beach."
Usage: Use "dolphin" when referring to the intelligent marine mammal known for interacting with people; avoid using it for a mooring structure unless specifically discussing maritime equipment where context makes the distinction clear. People often confuse this animal name with similar-sounding words like "dollop," so ensure you are describing an aquatic creature rather than a portion of food or paint.
A surname.
"The Dolphin family has lived in that coastal village for three generations."
The word dolphin comes from Latin and Ancient Greek, where it originally meant "womb" because the animal's birth canal resembles a womb shape. It entered Middle English as delphyn before evolving into its modern form, eventually replacing an older native term for sea pigs.