dog whistle
noun
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.
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dog whistle
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dog-whistle
dog-whistleadjectiverelating 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
American
[dawg-hwis-uhl, -wis-, dog-]
/ ˈdɔgˌʰwɪs əl, -ˌwɪs-, ˈdɒg- /
noun
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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.
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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.
dog-whistle
British
adjective
verb
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
Etymology
Origin of dog whistle
First recorded in 1800–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
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 that stood out to me was a flute called The Flute of Truth, which was a flute that’s almost like a dog whistle, but 100 times louder for humans.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 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
“That’s dog-whistle stuff, man, in a city like Memphis,” said Josh Spickler, a former public defender and the executive director of Just City, a local criminal justice reform group.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2023
While I’m pretty sure Graham wouldn’t consciously encourage a riot, I’m not so sure he wouldn’t dog-whistle a little tune that would be likely to perk up some ears.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2022
Sometimes, "unicorn" is simply a dog-whistle for cotton candy.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2022
The highly visually literate modern fashion consumer is attuned to such subtleties, which is precisely why the dog-whistle crassness of Victoria’s Secret feels so out of step with our times.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 14, 2019
Around his neck hung a prize which he had won in the games, a silver dog-whistle on a scarlet ribbon.
From The Cup of Trembling and Other Stories by Mary Hallock Foote
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