whistle stop
noun
a small, unimportant town, especially one along a railroad line.
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whistle stop
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whistle-stop
whistle-stopverb (used without object)to campaign for political office by traveling around the country, originally by train, stopping at small communities to address voters.
whistle stop
1 Americannoun
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a small, unimportant town, especially one along a railroad line.
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a short talk from the rear platform of a train, especially during a political campaign.
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a brief appearance, single performance, or the like, in a small town, as during a political campaign or theatrical tour.
whistle-stop
2
American
[hwis-uhl-stop, wis-]
/ ˈʰwɪs əlˌstɒp, ˈwɪs- /
verb (used without object)
whistle-stopped,
whistle-stopping
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to campaign for political office by traveling around the country, originally by train, stopping at small communities to address voters.
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to take a trip consisting of several brief, usually overnight, stops.
adjective
whistle stop
British
noun
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a minor railway station where trains stop only on signal
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a small town having such a station
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a brief appearance in a town, esp by a political candidate to make a speech, shake hands, etc
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( as modifier )
a whistle-stop tour
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verb
Etymology
Origin of whistle stop1
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Origin of whistle-stop2
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
India's president has made a whistle stop tour of an island earmarked for multi-billion dollar development that experts warn could wipe out the indigenous tribe which calls it home.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2024
Passengers from miles around traveled to the little Nippeno whistle stop with their freight and cattle to catch the train.
From Slate • Dec. 4, 2017
In 1981, they invited Baker to Princeton for a chance to perform the experiments, one whistle stop on a reproducibility tour of several U.S. campuses in the Northeast.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 23, 2016
“We have to start looking at families now,” Trump said at a Saturday whistle stop in Iowa, referring to suspect Syed Rizwan Farook.
From The Guardian • Dec. 6, 2015
Why should he hang around this whistle stop for a wasted week-end, holding kitchen conversations with the unmighty living?
From The Mighty Dead by Gault, William Campbell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
