dog whistle

American  

[dawg-hwis-uhl, -wis-, dog-] / ˈdɔgˌʰwɪs əl, -ˌwɪs-, ˈdɒg- /

noun

1. an ultrasonic whistle, audible to dogs and some other animals but out of the range easily perceptible to the human ear, used by handlers of working dogs and by dog trainers.

2. Chiefly Politics. a choice of words, coded communication, or other symbolic aspect of self-presentation that is superficially unobjectionable or neutral but conveys a secondary message aimed at those who affiliate with a controversial group or fringe ideology, usually signaling one’s own affinity for such beliefs: The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

   The candidate used “welfare reform” as a dog whistle appealing to racist voters.

   The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

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dog-whistle British  

adjective

1. relating to the targeting of potentially controversial messages to specific voters while avoiding offending those voters with whom the message will not be popular

   dog-whistle politics

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verb

1. (intr) to employ this kind of political strategy

Usage

What does dog whistle mean? A dog whistle is a political term about statements that appear innocent to the general public but they actually use subtle, coded language to communicate a secondary message to an intended group. The messages are often racial or bigoted in nature, used to attract certain voters and energize them to vote.

Other Word Forms

• dog whistling noun
• dog-whistle adjective

Etymology

Origin of dog whistle

First recorded in 1800–05

Example Sentences

Powell responded "oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now do we" and "let's get that dog whistle out shall we".

From BBC • May 3, 2025

They weren’t shy, and there was no dog whistle needed.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2024

A dog whistle secretly communicates one targeted idea to an in-group while also offering an innocuous separate message to people outside of that group.

From Salon • Sep. 15, 2024

“It was all an intimidation method to send a dog whistle to Black people straight form Beverly Hills, straight from City Hall,” Crump said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023

One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan