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Whistle

//ˈwɪs(ə)l// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound. countable, uncountable

    "A lovely crisp exhaust: a feeling of almost unlimited power combined with complete freedom of running: and, to crown it all, a most melodious and wholly American chime whistle—these were my immediate impressions as we stormed rapidly out of Göttingen, intent on winning back some of the lost time."

  2. 2
    an inexpensive fipple flute wordnet
  3. 3
    An act of whistling. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound wordnet
  5. 5
    A shrill, high-pitched sound made by whistling. countable, uncountable

    "We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine.[…]As we reached the lodge we heard the whistle, and we backed up against one side of the platform as the train pulled up at the other."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    a small wind instrument that produces a whistling sound by blowing into it wordnet
  2. 7
    Any high-pitched sound similar to the sound made by whistling. countable, uncountable

    "the whistle of the wind in the trees"

  3. 8
    the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle wordnet
  4. 9
    A suit (from whistle and flute). Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable

    "We soldiers changed into our No.1 dress uniforms, Sid into his best whistle and we set off for the church."

  5. 10
    the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture wordnet
  6. 11
    The mouth and throat; so called as being the organs of whistling. colloquial, countable, uncountable

    "Let's […] drink the other cup to wet our whistles."

Verb
  1. 1
    To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through the mouth. To produce a whistling sound, restrictions to the flow of air are created using the teeth, tongue and lips. ambitransitive

    "Never whistle at a funeral."

  2. 2
    utter or express by whistling wordnet
  3. 3
    To make a similar sound by forcing air through a musical instrument or a pipe etc. ambitransitive

    "The steam train whistled as it passed by."

  4. 4
    give a signal by whistling wordnet
  5. 5
    To move in such a way as to create a whistling sound. intransitive

    "A bullet whistled past."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound wordnet
  2. 7
    To send, signal, or call by a whistle. transitive
  3. 8
    move with, or as with, a whistling sound wordnet
  4. 9
    To request admission to Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic organization. intransitive, slang
  5. 10
    move, send, or bring as if by whistling wordnet
  6. 11
    make whistling sounds wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English whistel, whistil, whistle, from Old English hwistle, from the verb (see below).

Etymology 2

From Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlan, hwistlian (“to whistle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwistlōn, from Proto-Germanic *hwistlōną (“to make a hissing sound”). Cognate with Swedish vissla (“to whistle”), Icelandic hvísla (“to whisper”), Russian свистеть (svistetʹ, “to whistle”).

See also for "whistle"

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