whistle

1 of 2

noun

whis·​tle ˈ(h)wi-səl 

often attributive

1

a

: a small wind instrument in which sound is produced by the forcible passage of breath through a slit in a short tube

a police whistle

b

: a device through which air or steam is forced into a cavity or against a thin edge to produce a loud sound

a factory whistle

2

a

: a shrill clear sound produced by forcing breath out or air in through the puckered lips

b

: the sound produced by a whistle

c

: a signal given by or as if by whistling

3

: a sound that resembles a whistle

especially : a shrill clear note of or as if of a bird

whistle

2 of 2

verb

whistled; whistling ˈ(h)wi-s(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to utter a shrill clear sound by blowing or drawing air through the puckered lips

b

: to utter a shrill note or call resembling a whistle

c

: to make a shrill clear sound especially by rapid movement

the wind whistled

d

: to blow or sound a whistle

2

a

: to give a signal or issue an order or summons by or as if by whistling

b

: to make a demand without result

he did a sloppy job, so he can whistle for his money

transitive verb

1

a

: to send, bring, signal, or call by or as if by whistling

b

: to charge (someone, such as a basketball or hockey player) with an infraction

2

: to produce, utter, or express by whistling

whistle a tune

whistleable

ˈ(h)wi-sə-lə-bəl 

adjective

Phrases

whistle in the dark

: to keep up one's courage by or as if by whistling

Examples of whistle in a Sentence

Noun

The policeman blew his whistle.

We could hear the train's whistle.

We could hear the low whistle of the wind through the trees.

the whistle of the tea kettle

Verb

He was whistling as he walked down the street.

He whistled for a cab.

He whistled a happy tune.

The teakettle started to whistle.

A bullet whistled past him.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 2021, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, blew the whistle on the company’s role in spreading disinformation and the increase in racial hatred. —Meriem Mahdhi, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024

By the time the final whistle sounded, an aching Pregnon was asked to brandish the sword and lead the USC band, an honor often bestowed upon the game’s most critical player. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

That same year, Cornell released Merlin Sound ID, which was originally trained on around two hundred and fifty hours of bird sounds, as well as on background noises (whistling wind, passing cars), all manually annotated by experts. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

All five of Golden State’s challenges were on fouls whistled on Green. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hwistle; akin to Old Norse hvīsla to whisper

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing whistle

• blow the whistle
• clean as a whistle
• dog whistle
• penny whistle
• tin whistle
• wet one's whistle
• whistle-blower
• whistle-blowing
• whistle in the dark
• whistle past the graveyard
• whistle-stop
• wolf whistle

Kids Definition

whistle

1 of 2 noun

whis·​tle ˈhwis-əl 

ˈwis-

1

: a device making a shrill sound

tin whistle

steam whistle

2

a

: a shrill clear sound made by forcing air through puckered lips

b

: a sound or signal produced by a whistle or as if by whistling

whistle

2 of 2 verb

whistled; whistling ˈhwis-(ə-)liŋ 

ˈwis-

1

: to make a whistle through puckered lips

2

: to move, pass, or go with a shrill sound

an arrow whistled by me

3

: to blow or sound a whistle

the teakettle whistled

4

: to utter by whistling

whistle a tune

whistler

ˈhwis-(ə-)lər

ˈwis-

noun