whistle
whistle — noun
1. a high-pitched noise that results from air passing swiftly across a narrow gap —
a high-pitched noise that results from air passing swiftly across a narrow gap — for example, between a person's pursed lips, out of a kettle spout, or from a train's steam vent.
Nicholas let out a low whistle when he saw the view from the balcony.
let out a whistle — produce a whistling sound
The whistle of the boiling kettle woke up the baby from her nap.
noun + prepositional phrase: whistle of [something]
A loud whistle came from the train as it pulled into the station.
adjective + whistle: loud whistle
Quinn heard a friendly whistle from across the street and turned around.
The sharp whistle of the winter wind made everyone pull their coats tighter.
- loud whistle
- low whistle
- sharp whistle
- friendly whistle
- admirative whistle
- let out a whistle
- whistle of the wind
- whistle of the kettle
Usage Note
Can be modified by adjectives describing pitch (low, high, sharp) or intention (friendly, admiring). Often follows the pattern 'whistle of + [source]'.
2. a small hollow object that you put to your mouth and push air into, creating a v
a small hollow object that you put to your mouth and push air into, creating a very clear, piercing tone; used to alert people or communicate in sports and safety settings.
The referee put his whistle to his lips and blew hard.
blow a whistle — common verb + object pattern
Each lifeguard carries a whistle to get the swimmers' attention quickly.
Nila bought a small safety whistle for her keychain before the hiking trip.
safety whistle — noun compound
The coach blew his whistle to call the team back for more practice.
A police officer's whistle sounded loud and clear through the busy market street.
- blow a whistle
- police whistle
- referee's whistle
- safety whistle
- train whistle
- carry a whistle
Usage Note
Commonly modified by a possessive or noun adjunct indicating the user (referee's whistle, police whistle). The verb blow is the most frequent operator.
3. the sound of a sports official's whistle blown to indicate a stoppage, a foul, o
the sound of a sports official's whistle blown to indicate a stoppage, a foul, or the start or end of play.
The final whistle ended the match with a score of two goals to one.
final whistle — fixed collocation for end of a match
After the whistle, the players walked off the field and shook hands.
after the whistle — time reference common in sports commentary
Sumin heard the referee's whistle and stopped running right away.
The crowd booed loudly when the whistle signaled a penalty kick for the other team.
Play continued until the referee's whistle stopped the game for an injury check.
- final whistle
- half-time whistle
- referee's whistle
- blow the whistle
- whistle signals
- after the whistle
Usage Note
Distinguish from noun sense 2 (the physical object): this sense refers to the SIGNAL or EVENT produced by the whistle blast, not the device. Frequently occurs in fixed phrases like the final whistle or the half-time whistle.
Extremely clean, with no dirt or mess at all.
After scrubbing for an hour, the kitchen was as clean as a whistle.
Did you see his car? It's as clean as a whistle inside and out.
To report someone's dishonest or illegal activities to a person in charge.
Sara decided to blow the whistle on her boss for stealing company funds.
If you know about the fraud, you should blow the whistle on it immediately.
whistle — verb
1. to push air out between nearly shut lips so that a ringing note comes out; you c
to push air out between nearly shut lips so that a ringing note comes out; you can do this to play a melody, call someone, or show that you are happy or impressed.
Minh whistled a cheerful tune while walking to the bus stop.
whistle + direct object (a tune) — transitive pattern with melody
The old man sat on the park bench and whistled to call his dog back.
whistle + infinitive of purpose — call someone or something
Hassan tried to whistle but could not make a clear sound at first.
Rafael whistled loudly to get a taxi on the busy rainy street.
whistle + adverb (loudly) — manner modification
The children learned to whistle during their summer camp activities.
- whistle a tune
- whistle a song
- whistle loudly
- whistle softly
- whistle happily
- whistle to call
- whistle at someone
Grammar Patterns
whistle
whistle + noun phrase (a tune, a song)
whistle + prepositional phrase (at, to, for)
Usage Note
Transitive when a melody is produced ('whistle a song'); intransitive when the act itself is described ('whistle to attract attention'). Frequently used with adverbs of manner (loudly, softly, happily).
Common Mistakes
2. to move at high speed through the air or along a surface, producing a high, thin
to move at high speed through the air or along a surface, producing a high, thin sound as a result.
A strong wind whistled through the cracks in the old wooden cabin.
whistle through [opening] — preposition + location
The arrow whistled past his ear during the archery competition.
whistle past — movement past a point
Cold air whistled under the door and made the whole room feel icy.
Bullets whistled across the field during the military training exercise.
The stone whistled past Christopher's shoulder and landed in the lake.
- whistle through
- whistle past
- whistle across
- whistle under
- wind whistles
- bullet whistles
- arrow whistles
Grammar Patterns
whistle + through/past/across + noun phrase
Usage Note
Almost always intransitive. Requires a directional prepositional phrase (through, past, across, under). Subject is typically wind, air, bullets, or fast-moving objects.
3. when a bird produces a series of high, musical notes with its voice, especially
when a bird produces a series of high, musical notes with its voice, especially during the morning or nesting season.
A blackbird whistled from the top of the garden wall each morning.
bird + whistle + location — subject is a specific bird species
Outside the window, a robin whistled a sweet melody at sunrise.
Rachid could hear finches whistling in the trees near the riverbank.
hear + bird + whistling — perception verb pattern
The canary whistled happily when Christopher entered the sunny room.
- bird whistles
- whistle from a tree
- hear birds whistle
- whistle at dawn
- blackbird whistles
- finch whistles
Grammar Patterns
whistle — used of birds
Usage Note
Subject is always a bird species. Unlike verb sense 1 (human whistling), this sense refers to natural bird song, not a learned skill. Common with perception verbs: hear a bird whistling, listen to birds whistle.
4. in team sports, to use a whistle to communicate with players — for instance, to
in team sports, to use a whistle to communicate with players — for instance, to pause or restart the action, or to indicate that someone has done something that is not allowed by the rules.
The referee whistled to stop the game after the player fell to the ground.
whistle + infinitive of purpose — to signal an action
When the official whistled, both teams stopped and waited for the call.
The referee whistled three times to signal the end of the match.
whistle + number of times — quantifier pattern
Walid whistled loudly to restart the match after the injury break.
At the start of each half, the referee whistles and play begins again.
- whistle to stop
- whistle to start
- whistle for a foul
- whistle three times
- referee whistles
- whistle loudly
- blow the whistle
a phrasal equivalent; slightly more emphatic and descriptive than 'whistle' alone
- signal
a broader verb that could include hand gestures or flags; whistle is a specific type of signal
Grammar Patterns
whistle — intransitive; often followed by to-infinitive of purpose
Usage Note
Distinguish from verb sense 5 (whistle a player) — this sense is intransitive (the referee whistles), while sense 5 is transitive with a player as the object. Common in sports commentary: 'the referee whistles for a foul.'
5. in team sports, when a referee signals through a whistle blast that a particular
in team sports, when a referee signals through a whistle blast that a particular player has committed a rule violation, resulting in a penalty or free kick.
The referee whistled the defender for a dangerous tackle from behind.
whistle [player] for [violation] — transitive pattern with reason
Quinn was whistled for a foul after pushing during a corner kick.
passive: be whistled for [violation]
The official whistled the player for unsportsmanlike behavior on the court.
Eitan got whistled for stepping outside the lane during the basketball game.
- whistle a player for
- whistled for a foul
- whistled for a penalty
- get whistled for
- referee whistles a player
- penalize
more formal; can apply to any sport or even non-sport contexts; whistle is specific to sports with whistles
- call a foul on
the standard American English phrasing; whistle a player is more informal and British-influenced
Grammar Patterns
whistle + player noun phrase + for + noun phrase (the foul)
Usage Note
Distinguish from verb sense 4 (intransitive 'the referee whistles'): this sense takes a direct object naming the player who committed the infraction. Frequently used in the passive: 'got whistled for a foul.' CEFR C1 as the sense is narrow and sport-specific.
Common Mistakes
to report illegal or dishonest activities to someone in authority, especially within an organisation.
An employee blew the whistle on the company's unsafe factory conditions.
Nila decided to blow the whistle on her boss after discovering the missing funds.
clean as a whistle
idiomcompletely clean; spotless.
After scrubbing for an hour, the kitchen floor was clean as a whistle.
The mechanic said the engine was clean as a whistle and needed no repairs.
wet your whistle
idiomto have a drink, especially an alcoholic one; to quench your thirst.
The hikers stopped at a small pub to wet their whistle before continuing.
After working in the sun all morning, we sat down to wet our whistle.
Word family
- whistlernounB2
- whistleblowernounC1
- whistleblowingnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Whistle, hum, sing, and hiss all describe producing sound through the mouth, but they differ in technique and effect. Whistling forces air through nearly closed lips to create a clear, high-pitched tone — it can carry a melody but cannot form words. Humming keeps the mouth closed and uses the vocal cords, producing a lower, muffled pitch; it is quieter and often done unconsciously. Singing uses the voice fully, with an open mouth and controlled breath, producing words or syllables along with pitch; it is louder and more expressive than either whistling or humming. Hissing forces air through a narrow opening between the tongue and teeth to produce a sharp 's' sound — it carries no tune and is used to express disapproval or to scare animals away. For example, you might whistle a tune while walking, hum a song while cooking, sing along to the radio in the car, and hiss at someone to be quiet in a movie theater.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word whistle comes from Old English hwistlian (to whistle), which is imitative in origin — the sound of the word itself echoes the sound it describes. It is related to Old Norse hvísl (a whisper) and Old High German hwīsalōn (to hiss). The noun form (the device) appeared in Middle English around the 1400s, and the sports referee sense developed in the 1800s as organised team sports grew in popularity.