whistle Hear it!

whistle Definition

whis·tle (hwis′əl, wis′-)

intransitive verb -·tled, -·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
  2. to make a clear, shrill cry: said of some birds and animals
  3. 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

whistle Related Forms

whis′tle·able adjective

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

whistle Synonyms

whistle

n.

  1. A shrill sound

    cry, shriek, howl, blast, piping, siren call, fire alarm, birdcall, signal, toot, blare; see also noise 1.

  2. An instrument that produces a shrill sound

    fife, pipe, pipes, panpipes, tin whistle, steam whistle, mouth whistle, traffic whistle, siren, calliope.

whistle Synonyms

whistle

v.

  1. To produce a shrill blast

    fife, pipe, flute, trill, hiss, whiz, wheeze, shriek, howl, blare, toot, tootle; see also sound 1.

  2. To call with a whistle

    signal, summon, warn, command, flag, arrest, sound a whistle.

  3. To produce a tune by whistling

    warble, tootle, trill, quaver, carol, improvise.

whistle Usage Examples

Object

  • tune: I wish I could. whistle a tune, spin a web like a spider, catch a tooth fairy.
  • bullet: Bullets whistled over our heads, or past our ears.

Converse of object

  • blow: However he never blew a final whistle, just waved his arms about.
  • hear: Suddenly we heard the whistle of a shell, which, luckily for us, missed its target.

Adjective modifier

  • shrill: Alarm calls are in the form of a shrill whistle.
  • high-pitched: There's a high-pitched continuous whistle, like a steam train sounding it's whistle, or a singing kettle.
  • final: We kept running to the final whistle - 90 minutes is a long time!
  • loud: I had just reached the spot, when a loud whistle sounded over the moat behind me.

Modifies a noun

  • blower: Michael Mann's The Insider, is the true story of a former tobacco industry executive who turns whistle blower.
  • blow: It will all be over once the final whistle blows on Sunday 9th July.
  • stop: A whistle stop journey through the Day Surgery Unit.
  • tour: Following the whistle stop ground tour the boys then continue their journey to Scotland arriving at the hotel at 10 pm.

Noun used with modifier

  • half-time: The hiatus did nothing to improve the flow of the game and both sides were probably grateful for the half-time whistle.
  • penny: The distinctive tune was based on South African folk music played on a penny whistle.
  • tin: If a tin whistle is made of tin, what are fog horns made of?
  • chime: One locomotive, 13, acquired a chime whistle in place of the more standard type.
  • wolf: To support the fairly obvious assumption, the younger the woman, the more likely she is to receive wolf whistles.
  • steam: A thick mist lay over them, and from the heart of it there came the sudden scream of a steam whistle.

Possessives

referee: Play begins on the referee's whistle, with a throw-off from center court.

Present participle complement

blow: How does the ethically informed manager learn to handle the concept of ethical permissibility with regards to whistle blowing?