# whistle

Pronunciation: say "WIS-uhl" /ˈwɪs.əl/

## Noun

1. A device that makes a whistling sound, either when blown through the mouth or when driven by steam or some other mechanism.
   - Simple: A device you blow into, or one worked by steam or a machine, that makes a high, sharp sound.
   - _The lifeguard gave two sharp blasts on her whistle to call the swimmers in._
   - _The engineer pulled the cord and sounded the locomotive's whistle at the crossing._
3. The piercing, high-pitched sound that results when someone or something whistles.
   - Simple: A high, sharp sound made when someone or something whistles.
   - _The referee's final whistle was drowned out by the roar of the home fans._
   - _Through the fog came the shrill whistle of a distant ferry._
4. A single act of whistling.
   - Simple: One act of whistling, such as to call a dog or show surprise.
   - _With a whistle through his fingers, the shepherd sent the collie racing up the hill._
   - _She let out a low whistle when she saw the price tag._
5. Any high-pitched sound resembling the sound produced by whistling.
   - Simple: Any high sound that is like the sound of someone whistling.
   - _The whistle of incoming shells sent the soldiers diving for cover._
   - _Through the cracked door came the thin whistle of air escaping from a punctured tire._
9. The mouth and throat, so called because they are used to whistle. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Your mouth and throat, the parts of your body you whistle with.
   - _The band took a short break to wet their whistles before the second set._
   - _He poured a splash of whiskey to wet his whistle before the speech._
10. A suit of clothes; short for whistle and flute, rhyming slang for suit. *(dialectal, Cockney)*
   - Simple: A suit, meaning a matching jacket and pants worn together.
   - _Dad dug his old whistle out of the wardrobe for the funeral._
   - _Looking sharp in a new whistle, he strolled into the pub like he owned it._

## Verb

2. To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through a small opening formed with the lips, tongue, or teeth.
   - Simple: To make a high, clear sound by blowing air out through your lips.
   - _He whistled a few bars of the national anthem to test the echo._
   - _Some people can whistle loudly with two fingers in their mouth._
6. To send, signal, or call someone or something by means of a whistle.
   - Simple: To call, signal, or send someone by blowing a whistle or whistling.
   - _The referee whistled a foul against the home team._
   - _Shepherds whistle their dogs to the left or right across the hillside._
7. To move so as to produce a shrill, high-pitched sound, as a bullet or a strong wind does.
   - Simple: To move in a way that makes a high, sharp sound.
   - _Shells whistled over the trench all night._
   - _On windy nights, gusts whistle down the chimney and rattle the grate._
8. To make a similar, whistle-like sound by forcing air through a musical instrument, a pipe, or the like.
   - Simple: To make a sound like whistling by pushing air through a pipe, an instrument, or something similar.
   - _Steam locomotives whistle long and loud as they approach a crossing._
   - _The pipe organ whistled a thin, wavering note before the bellows gave out._
11. To ask for admission as a member of Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic organization. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To ask to join Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic group.
   - _After months of retreats and spiritual direction at the Opus Dei center, she finally whistled._
   - _Not every student who attends the center's talks will go on to whistle._

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–5, 9–10** — From Middle English whistel, whistil, whistle, from Old English hwistle, which was formed from the verb.
**Meanings 2, 6–8, 11** — 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”). It is cognate with Swedish vissla (“to whistle”), Icelandic hvísla (“to whisper”) and Russian svistetʹ (“to whistle”).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/whistle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).