Meaning & use
whistle
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To make a high, clear sound by pushing air through your lips or teeth.
Grammar: No object; you can whistle a tune, but when you just make the sound, no object is needed.
Patterns
- whistle at someone
- whistle for something
- whistle to someone
He whistled softly as he walked down the street.
She whistled to get her dog's attention.
The audience whistled and cheered at the end of the show.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make a high sound by blowing air through a small device or instrument.
Grammar: Can take an object: whistle a tune; or no object: the referee whistled.
Patterns
- whistle a tune
- whistle for someone
- whistle at someone
The referee whistled to stop the game.
He whistled a happy tune while he worked.
The kettle whistled when the water boiled.
nouncountable
A small device that makes a high sound when you blow into it.
Grammar: Countable: a whistle, two whistles.
Patterns
- blow a whistle
- referee's whistle
The referee blew his whistle to start the match.
She keeps a whistle in her pocket for emergencies.
The teacher used a whistle to get the children's attention.
nouncountable
The high sound made by whistling or by a whistle.
Grammar: Countable: the whistle of the train, a loud whistle.
Patterns
- the whistle of something
- a loud whistle
We heard the whistle of the train in the distance.
The whistle of the wind kept me awake.
He gave a low whistle of surprise.
Word forms
| third person singular | whistles |
|---|---|
| past tense | whistled |
| past participle | whistled |
| -ing form | whistling |
| plural | whistles |
Common combinations
- blow a whistle
- The coach blew the whistle to end practice.
- whistle a tune
- He whistled a tune as he washed the car.
- whistle at someone
- The construction workers whistled at the passing cars.
- final whistle
- The fans cheered at the final whistle.
- whistle-blower
- A whistle-blower reported the company's illegal activities.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- whistler noun
- A person who whistles.
- whistling noun
- The act or sound of making a whistle.
Commonly confused: whistle or wistle?
whistle vs wistle
This is a common misspelling; the correct spelling is 'whistle' with 'wh'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
When you whistle a tune, 'whistle' takes a direct object: whistle a song. The other options use prepositions that change the meaning (e.g., 'whistle for' means to call someone by whistling).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whistle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.