whis·tle
| \ ˈhwi-səl
, ˈwi-\
, ˈwi-\
Definition of whistle
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: 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
2a
: 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
verb
whistled;
whistling\ ˈhwi-s(ə-)liŋ
, ˈwi- \
, ˈwi- \
Definition of whistle (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: 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
2a
: 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
1a
: 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
whistle in the dark
: to keep up one's courage by or as if by whistling
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Other Words from whistle
Verb
whistleable
\ ˈhwi-sə-lə-bəl
, ˈwi- \
adjective
, ˈwi- \
adjective
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 kettleVerb
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
Chop block calls, holding and offsides whistles were major detours to any hint of the two teams moving the football. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Memorial dealt 14-0 season-opening loss to Kempner," 30 Aug. 2019 While both cement the centerback position, Sané is the vocal leader of the backline, shouting out instructions from the first to the last whistle. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Lamine Sané stands out as vocal leader for Orlando City’s revamped backline," 27 Aug. 2019 At first, the sound was discordant, a mixture of yells and whistles and the general chaos of the crowd. — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, "Pain and Resentment and the Inspiring Retirement of Andrew Luck," 27 Aug. 2019 People who attempt to take a seat are signaled with whistles, and asked to move from the site. — Natalie B. Compton, chicagotribune.com, "Sitting on Rome’s famous Spanish Steps can now cost you a serious fine," 20 Aug. 2019 Chubb punctuated two days of hard, physical, relentless running past the whistle with a 65-yard touchdown blast off left guard on the first play of a team period, albeit with no tackling to the ground permitted. — Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com, "Nick Chubb fires up Baker Mayfield with 65-yard TD blast vs. Colts and more takeaways," 15 Aug. 2019 All of a sudden, the whistle sounds, and the game is over. — Ben Church, CNN, "It's official. Watching soccer can be good for your health," 11 Aug. 2019 The sounds of whistles echoed as players ran from one rep to another and the voices of players and coaches yelling throughout the session rang throughout the parking lot. — Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, "With 70% of its playbook installed, Louisville football begins camp focused on reps," 5 Aug. 2019 Big trucks rumbled to and from the nearby port, and occasionally a train whistle pierced the air loud enough to make the tourists cover their ears. — Matt Tunseth, Anchorage Daily News, "The silvers are in at Ship Creek. Here’s how I got skunked.," 29 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Already on a power play, Boston earned another man-up advantage when Blues center Ryan O’Reilly couldn’t clear the puck and was whistled for delay of game. — Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, "No glory — or play ‘Gloria’ — for Blues after they bungled Game 6," 10 June 2019 To Peppa’s relief, Suzy says no, but then asks what whistling is, anyway. — Sonia Rao, Washington Post, "Who is that animated pig all over your timeline? Why, it’s Peppa!," 24 July 2019 And these are the fans who once whistled at Ronaldo; the club's record goalscorer, the most successful player in the club's history. — Matias Grez, CNN, "From dream start to nightmare end, Gareth Bale's Real Madrid career turns sour," 23 July 2019 Long years of neglect in an amusement park didn’t add a whisper of promise that the 4449 would soon be whistling down any rails, except in memory. — Tom Bentley, Popular Mechanics, "Why the SP 4449 Is Such a Badass Train," 15 July 2019 Williams broomed through the first set in 29 minutes, crackling with her first serve and whistling crisp winners from the baseline. — Jason Gay, WSJ, "Serena Williams Rocks, Then Rolls at Wimbledon," 11 July 2019 That comes a minute after Morgan gets whistled for kicking Renard’s foot on a free ball. — Jeré Longman, New York Times, "How Megan Rapinoe and the U.S. Beat France at the World Cup," 28 June 2019 Spain fans jeered the call, whistling derisively while it was reviewed and again as Megan Rapinoe lined up to take the penalty kick. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Opinion: USWNT wins on a soft penalty – but it was the 100% the right call," 24 June 2019 It is even balanced, something so rare that Mr Pritzker’s Ukrainian ancestors might have likened it to a crayfish whistling on a mountain. — The Economist, "More liberal, functional Illinois," 21 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whistle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for whistle
whistle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of whistle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a small device that makes a very high and loud sound when a person blows air through it
: a device through which air or steam is forced to produce a very high and loud sound
: a high and loud sound made by forcing air through your lips or teeth
whistle
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of whistle (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a high sound by blowing air through your lips or teeth
: to produce a high and loud sound by forcing air or steam through a device
: to move, pass, or go very fast with a high sound
See the full definition for whistle in the English Language Learners Dictionary