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Added 9 October 2026

whistle

/ˈwɪs(ə)l/ noun

In Latin: sībilō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about whistle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.
the whistle signalled the end of the game
A small wind instrument that produces a whistling sound by blowing into it.

verb

Make whistling sounds.
He lay there, snoring and whistling
Move with, or as with, a whistling sound.
The bullets whistled past him
Utter or express by whistling.
She whistled a melody

Origin

From Middle English whistel, whistil, whistle, from Old English hwistle, from the verb (see below).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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