whistle

[ hwis-uh l, wis- ]

/ ˈʰwɪs əl, ˈwɪs- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whistle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), whis·tled, whis·tling.

to make a clear musical sound, a series of such sounds, or a high-pitched, warbling sound by the forcible expulsion of the breath through a small opening formed by contracting the lips, or through the teeth, with the aid of the tongue.

to make such a sound or series of sounds otherwise, as by blowing on some device.

to emit similar sounds from the mouth, as birds do.

(of a device) to produce a similar sound when actuated by steam or the like: This teakettle whistles when it boils.

to move, go, pass, etc., with a whistling or whizzing sound, as a bullet or the wind.

verb (used with object), whis·tled, whis·tling.

to produce by whistling: to whistle a tune.

to call, direct, or signal by or as by whistling: He whistled his dog over.

to send with a whistling or whizzing sound.

noun

an instrument for producing whistling sounds by means of the breath, steam, etc., as a small wooden or tin tube, a pipe, or a similar device with an air chamber containing a small ball that oscillates when air is forced through an opening, producing a high-pitched, warbling tone.

a sound produced by whistling: a prolonged whistle of astonishment.

a simple fipple flute.

Verb Phrases

whistle for, to demand or expect without success: After promising to pay, he told us we could whistle for our money.

Nearby words

whisperous, whisperously, whispery, whist, whist drive, whistle, whistle dixie, whistle for, whistle in the dark, whistle pig, whistle stop

Idioms

blow the whistle, to expose the existence of mischief or wrongdoing: The agent was taking bribes until someone finally blew the whistle.

blow the whistle on,

to bring a stop to; halt: Congress has blown the whistle on all unnecessary expenditures for the program.
to expose (wrongdoing or wrongdoers): to blow the whistle on corruption in high places.

wet one's whistle, Informal. to take a drink.

whistle in the dark, to attempt to summon up one's courage or optimism in a difficult situation: He says his business will improve next year, but he's probably just whistling in the dark.

Origin of whistle

before 950; (v.) Middle English whistlen, Old English hwistlian; akin to Old Norse hvīsla to whistle, hviskra to whisper; see whine; (noun) Middle English; Old English hwistle instrument, akin to the v.

Related formswhis·tle·a·ble, adjectivein·ter·whis·tle, verb (used with object), in·ter·whis·tled, in·ter·whis·tling.un·whis·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whistle

“Clean as a whistle,” says a senior investigator involved in the case.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But admit it: at the first whistle, we all paid attention, to a part of the world that would usually prefer us all to butt out.
Pyongyang Primer: Kenneth Bae Comes Home|Kevin Bleyer|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is on trial along with three others, and Bogucki is blowing the whistle on government practices he says are not fair play.
A Navy Lawyer Cries Foul on Gitmo’s Kafkaesque Legal System|Eleanor Clift|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not a lot of air tooting that whistle, no matter what the video would lead viewers to believe.
Anti-Vaxxers Have a New Hero|Russell Saunders|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Down Fred went and the ref blew his whistle, piercing Croatian hearts as he pointed to the penalty spot.
Brazil Slips Past Croatia, Thanks to Yuichi Nishimura|Tunku Varadarajan|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Captain Jekyl threw away the remnant of his cigar, with a little movement of pettishness, and began to whistle an opera air.
St. Ronan's Well|Sir Walter Scott
I don't know how long I had been asleep, but what made me wake up was the whistle of a locomotive.
Roy Blakeley's Camp on Wheels|Percy Keese Fitzhugh
Their own frantic shouts some time ago, even Sandy's whistle, had been unheard and unheeded.
The Quiver, 1/1900|Anonymous
It was a whistle, and it had such a penetrating quality that Will, at first, thought it was a bird.
The Great Sioux Trail|Joseph Altsheler
I want a chance to see it, and Jack began to whistle a cheerful tune.
Five Thousand Miles Underground|Roy Rockwood

British Dictionary definitions for whistle

whistle

/ (ˈwɪsəl) /

verb

to produce (shrill or flutelike musical sounds), as by passing breath through a narrow constriction most easily formed by the pursed lipshe whistled a melody

(tr) to signal, summon, or command by whistling or blowing a whistlethe referee whistled the end of the game

(of a kettle, train, etc) to produce (a shrill sound) caused by the emission of steam through a small aperture

(intr) to move with a whistling sound caused by rapid passage through the air

(of animals, esp birds) to emit (a shrill sound) resembling human whistling

whistle in the dark to try to keep up one's confidence in spite of fear

noun

a device for making a shrill high-pitched sound by means of air or steam under pressure

a shrill sound effected by whistling

a whistling sound, as of a bird, bullet, the wind, etc

a signal, warning, command, etc, transmitted by or as if by a whistle

the act of whistling

music any pipe that is blown down its end and produces sounds on the principle of a flue pipe, usually having as a mouthpiece a fipple cut in the side

wet one's whistle informal to take an alcoholic drink

blow the whistle (usually foll by on) informal

to inform (on)
to bring a stop (to)

Word Origin for whistle

Old English hwistlian; related to Old Norse hvīsla

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for whistle (1 of 2)

whistle

Old English hwistlian, from Proto-Germanic *khwis-, of imitative origin. Used also in Middle English of the hissing of serpents. Related: Whistled; whistling. To whistle for (with small prospect of getting) is probably from nautical whistling for a wind. To whistle "Dixie" is from 1940.

Word Origin and History for whistle (1 of 2)

whistle

"tubular musical instrument," Old English hwistle (see whistle (v.)). To wet one's whistle "take a drink" (late 14c.) originally may have referred to pipes, or be an allusion to the throat as a sort of pipe. Phrase clean as a whistle is recorded from 1878. Railroad whistle stop (at which trains stop only if the engineer hears a signal from the station) is recorded from 1934.

Idioms and Phrases with whistle

whistle

In addition to the idioms beginning with whistle

whistle Dixie
whistle for
whistle in the dark

also see:

blow the whistle on
clean as a whistle
slick as a whistle
wet one's whistle

whistle

verb (used without object), whis·tled, whis·tling.

verb (used with object), whis·tled, whis·tling.

noun

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of whistle

Examples from the Web for whistle

British Dictionary definitions for whistle

whistle

verb

noun

Word Origin for whistle

Word Origin and History for whistle (1 of 2)

whistle

Word Origin and History for whistle (1 of 2)

whistle

Idioms and Phrases with whistle

whistle