whistle
pronunciation
How to pronounce whistle in British English:
UK [ˈwɪsl]
How to pronounce whistle in American English:
US [ˈwɪsl]
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- Noun:
- the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
- the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle
- acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound
- an inexpensive fipple flute
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- Verb:
- make whistling sounds
- move with, or as with, a whistling sound
- utter or express by whistling
- move, send, or bring as if by whistling
- make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound
- give a signal by whistling
Word Origin
- whistle
- whistle: [OE] Like whisper, whistle goes back ultimately to the prehistoric Germanic base *khwis-, which denoted a ‘hissing’ sound. Related forms include Swedish vissla ‘whistle’ and Danish hvisle ‘hiss’.=> whisper
- whistle (v.)
- Old English hwistlian "to whistle," from Proto-Germanic *hwis-, of imitative origin (cognates: Old Norse hvisla "to whisper," Danish hvisle "to hiss;" see whisper (v.)). Used also in Middle English of the hissing of serpents; in 17c. it also could mean "whisper." Transitive use from late 15c. Related: Whistled; whistling. At public events, often an expression of support or encouragement in U.S., but often derisive in Britain. To whistle for (with small prospect of getting) is perhaps from nautical whistling for a wind, an old sailor's superstition during a calm. "Such men will not whistle during a storm" [Century Dictionary]. To whistle "Dixie" is from 1940.
- whistle (n.)
- "tubular musical instrument sounded by blowing," Old English hwistle (see whistle (v.)). Meaning "sound formed by pursing the lips and blowing" is from mid-15c. To wet one's whistle "take a drink" (late 14c.) originally may have referred to pipes, or be an allusion to the throat as a sort of pipe. Phrase clean as a whistle is recorded from 1878. Railroad whistle-stop (at which trains stop only if the engineer hears a signal from the station) is recorded from 1934.
Example
- 1. A shrill whistle was heard outside .
- 2. As putin spoke , and as the national audience watched , many in the crowd started to jeer and whistle .
- 3. Before the air brake , railroad engineers would stop trains by cutting power , braking their locomotives and using the whistle to signal their brakemen .
- 4. Julian south came all the way from staffordshire to whistle .
- 5. I heard a loud police whistle .