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whis·tle

(wĭsəl, hwĭs-)

v. whis·tled, whis·tling, whis·tles

v.intr.

1. To produce a clear musical sound by forcing air through the teeth or through an aperture formed by pursing the lips.

2. To produce a clear, shrill, sharp musical sound by passing air over or through an opening: The tea kettle whistled on the stove.

a. To produce a high-pitched sound when moving swiftly through the air: The stone whistled past my head.

b. To produce a high-pitched sound by the rapid movement of air through an opening or past an obstruction: Wind whistled through the cracks in the windows.

4. To emit a shrill, sharp, high-pitched cry, as some birds and other animals.

v.tr.

1. To produce by whistling: whistle a tune.

2. To summon, signal, or direct by whistling: I whistled down a cab. The referee whistled that the play was dead.

3. Sports To signal a rule infraction committed by (a player).

a. A small wind instrument for making whistling sounds by means of the breath.

b. A device for making whistling sounds by means of forced air or steam: a factory whistle.

2. A sound produced by a whistling device or by whistling through the lips.

3. A whistling sound, as of an animal or projectile.

Idioms:

blow the whistle Slang

To expose a wrongdoing in the hope of bringing it to a halt: an attorney who blew the whistle on governmental corruption.

whistle in the dark

To attempt to keep one's courage up.

[Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlian.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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