Meaning & use
bell whistle
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Meaning
nouncountable
A whistle that has a bell-shaped end or a small bell attached, producing a ringing sound when blown.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a bell whistle or two bell whistles.
Patterns
- a bell whistle
- blow a bell whistle
The referee used a bell whistle so the players could hear it over the crowd.
She bought a small bell whistle for her dog training class.
The old train conductor carried a brass bell whistle.
Word forms
| plural | bell whistles |
|---|
Common combinations
- blow a bell whistle
- He blew a bell whistle to call the children back.
- brass bell whistle
- The antique brass bell whistle hung on the wall.
- use a bell whistle
- The coach uses a bell whistle during practice.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: bell whistle or wolf whistle?
bell whistle vs wolf whistle
A wolf whistle is a two-note whistle used to show admiration, often at someone's appearance; it is not a physical object.
Practice
The referee blew a ______ to stop the game, and the ringing sound carried across the field.
Choose one answer.
Bell whistle is the correct compound noun for a whistle with a bell-like sound. Whistle bell reverses the parts and is not a standard compound; bells whistle uses a plural noun incorrectly before another noun; whistling bell describes a bell that whistles, which is not the intended meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bell whistle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.