Link Centre Dictionary

whistle

UK/ˈwɪs(ə)l/ US/ˈwɪsl̩/ common slang
verb (6) noun (4)

verb

1.

make whistling sounds

  • “He lay there, snoring and whistling”
2.

move with, or as with, a whistling sound

  • “The bullets whistled past him”
3.

utter or express by whistling

  • “She whistled a melody”
4.

move, send, or bring as if by whistling

  • “Her optimism whistled away these worries”
5.

make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound

  • “the kettle was singing”
  • “the bullet sang past his ear”
Synonyms
6.

give a signal by whistling

  • “She whistled for her maid”

noun

1.
2.

the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle

  • “the whistle signalled the end of the game”
Synonyms
3.

acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound

4.

Origin

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”).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.