whistle

1 of 2

noun

whis·tle ˈ(h)wi-səl

often attributive

: 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

: 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

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

: the sound produced by a whistle

: a signal given by or as if by whistling

: 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

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

: to utter a shrill note or call resembling a whistle

: to make a shrill clear sound especially by rapid movement

the wind whistled

: to blow or sound a whistle

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

: to make a demand without result

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

transitive verb

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

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

: 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

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The crowd here booed when the referee blew the final whistle.

Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2022 Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen, who exposed the Facebook Papers, and Gary Miller, who blew the whistle on Israeli spyware maker NSO Group, both worked with the nonprofit.

WIRED, 14 Sep. 2022 Whistleblower Aid also represented Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee who blew the whistle on that social media giant last year.

Clare Duffy, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 Erika Cheung, a Theranos lab associate, blew the whistle on the company, telling federal authorities the company's proprietary blood-testing device, called the Edison, was not reliable enough to be used on human patients.

Bryan Logan, NBC News, 7 July 2022 In 2020, the Tennessee attorney general blew the whistle on a move that a national chain, Harris Jewelers, was pulling repeatedly at the local mall.

New York Times, 30 June 2022 Along with Limon, Allen Castellano — a commander who was critical of efforts by the department to keep the incident under wraps — accused Villanueva in a legal claim of obstructing justice and retaliating against those who blew the whistle.

Alene Tchekmedyianstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2022 Shea Patterson, the former Michigan football quarterback, tried to spike the ball but officials blew the whistle to signal halftime.

Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2022 The refs blew the whistle, and Walsh skated out of the rink and her sub came on.

Steve Smith, courant.com, 24 Feb. 2022

Verb

But artillery shells still whistle through the air, fired from inside Russia and landing with resonating thumps and billows of black smoke on Ukrainian territory.

Elena Becatoros, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2022 One of Zatko’s attorneys, John Tye, of Whistleblower Aid, said that the inquiries highlight the many barriers whistle-blowers face in coming forward.

Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2022 The Lions allowed a goal in first-half stoppage time but struck back before the halftime whistle on the first pro goal by César Araújo, who added another later as Orlando City earned its first berth in the Open Cup title game.

Orlando Sentinel, 27 July 2022 In time, a dog can be whistle-trained to do almost anything.

New York Times, 17 May 2022 As shells whistle overhead and provisions run low, Sergeyich seems to think of only one thing — beekeeping.

New York Times, 24 May 2022 Marcus Smart tripped on a drive to the rim but was bailed out by a poor call by the officials, who decided to whistle a foul on Jrue Holiday instead.

Katie Mcinerney, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2022 Will the officials continue to be whistle happy in Game 3, or let the physicality roll in this playoff game?

Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 6 May 2022 At one point, Sweet seems to whistle quietly, amazed at one of his collaborator’s vocal flourishes.

Elias Leight, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2022 See More

These 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.