whistle Hear it!

whistle definition

whis·tle (hwisəl, wis-)

intransitive verb whistled -·tled, whistling -·tling

    1. to make a clear, shrill sound or note, or a series of these, by forcing breath between the teeth or through a narrow opening made by puckering the lips
    2. to make a similar sound by sending steam through a small opening
  1. to make a clear, shrill cry: said of some birds and animals
  2. to move, pass, go, etc. with a high, shrill sound, as the wind
    1. to blow a whistle
    2. to have its whistle blown the train whistled

Etymology: ME whistlen < OE hwistlian: for IE base see whisper

transitive verb

  1. to produce (a tune, etc.) by whistling
  2. to summon, signal, direct, etc. by whistling

noun

  1. an instrument for making whistling sounds, as by forcing the breath or steam through a slit into a cavity or against a thin edge
  2. a clear, shrill sound made by whistling or blowing a whistle
  3. the act of whistling
  4. a signal, summons, etc. made by whistling
  5. a whistling sound, as of the wind

Related Forms:

whistle Idioms

blow the whistle (on)

Slang
  1. to report or inform (on)
  2. to cause to stop; call a halt (to)

wet one's whistle

Slang to take a drink

whistle for

to seek, expect, or demand but fail to get

whistle in the dark

to pretend to be confident when faced with danger or defeat

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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