Whale
A holder large enough that buying or selling their position can move a coin's price on its own.
Whales are the big accounts — early bitcoiners, funds, exchanges, sometimes a project's own team. A single wallet holding thousands of BTC or a large share of a token's supply can shift the market by trading.
Traders watch whale wallets through block explorers, looking for large transfers to exchanges that often precede selling. On thin, low-liquidity coins, one whale can set the price almost single-handedly.
Related terms
How easily an asset can be bought or sold near its current price without moving that price much.
Market CapThe total value of a coin's circulating supply, found by multiplying its price by the coins in circulation.
Block ExplorerA website that lets anyone search a blockchain's transactions, addresses, and blocks in readable form.
Bag HolderAn investor stuck holding a token that has collapsed in value, with little hope of recovery.