whistle
English · Thesaurus
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whistle¹
- /ˈwɪs(ə)l/
- [ˈwɪsl̩]
- /ˈʍɪs(ə)l/
- [ˈw̥ɪsl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪsəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English whistel, whistil, whistle, from Old English hwistle, from the verb (see below).
noun whistles
- A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound. A lovely crisp exhaust: a feeling of almost unlimited power combined with complete freedom of running: and, to crown it all, a most melodious and wholly American chime whistle—these were my immediate impressions as we stormed rapidly out of Göttingen, intent on winning back some of the lost time.
- An act of whistling.
- A shrill, high-pitched sound made by whistling. We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine.[…]As we reached the lodge we heard the whistle, and we backed up against one side of the platform as the train pulled up at the other.
- Any high-pitched sound similar to the sound made by whistling. the whistle of the wind in the trees
- A suit (from whistle and flute). We soldiers changed into our No.1 dress uniforms, Sid into his best whistle and we set off for the church.
- The mouth and throat; so called as being the organs of whistling. Let's […] drink the other cup to wet our whistles.
whistle²
- /ˈwɪs(ə)l/
- [ˈwɪsl̩]
- /ˈʍɪs(ə)l/
- [ˈw̥ɪsl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪsəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlan, hwistlian (“to whistle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwistlōn, from Proto-Germanic *hwistlōną (“to make a hissing sound”). Cognate with Swedish vissla (“to whistle”), Icelandic hvísla (“to whisper”), Russian свистеть (svistetʹ, “to whistle”).
verb whistles · whistling · whistled
- To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through the mouth. To produce a whistling sound, restrictions to the flow of air are created using the teeth, tongue and lips. Never whistle at a funeral.
- To make a similar sound by forcing air through a musical instrument or a pipe etc. The steam train whistled as it passed by.
- To move in such a way as to create a whistling sound. A bullet whistled past.
- To send, signal, or call by a whistle.
- To request admission to Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic organization.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sing, tin whistle, pennywhistle, toot, hissing, hiss, blowing, punch, blower, game, alarm, throat, jewelry, talk, alert, warning
Translations
Every language
noun sound made by whistling
| Español | silbato, pitido, chiflido, pitada, chifla, chifle |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 휘파람 hwiparam |
| 日本語 | 口笛 kuchibue |
| 中文 | 口哨 kǒushào |
| हिन्दी | सीटी sīṭī |
| Português | apito, assobio, assovio |
| Français | sifflet, sifflement, sifflements |
| Deutsch | Pfeifen, Pfiff |
| Italiano | fischio |
| Ελληνικά | σφύριγμα sfýrigma, σφυριξιά sfyrixiá |
| Română | fluierat |
| Русский | свист svist, свисто́к svistók |
noun device used to make a whistling sound
| Español | silbato, pito, chifle |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 호각 hogak, 호루라기 horuragi, 휘슬 hwiseul |
| 日本語 | 笛 fue, ホイッスル hoissuru, 口笛 kuchibue, 汽笛 kiteki, 呼び子 yobiko, 号笛 gōteki |
| 中文 | 哨子 shàozi, 口哨 kǒushào, 口笛 kǒudí, 汽笛 qìdí |
| हिन्दी | सीटी sīṭī |
| Kiswahili | kipenga, firimbi, filimbi |
| Português | apito |
| Français | sifflet |
| Deutsch | Pfeife, Trillerpfeife, Flöte |
| Italiano | fischietto |
| Ελληνικά | σφυρίχτρα sfyríchtra |
| Română | fluier |
| Русский | свисто́к svistók, гудо́к gudók |
| Tiếng Việt | còi |
| العربية | صَفَّارَة ṣaffāra |
noun act of whistling
| Español | silbido |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 호루라기 horuragi |
| 日本語 | 口笛 kuchibue |
| 中文 | 口哨 kǒushào, 口笛 kǒudí |
| हिन्दी | सीटी sīṭī |
| Português | apitada, assoviada, assobiada, apito, assovio, assobio |
| Français | siffler |
| Deutsch | Pfeifen |
| Ελληνικά | σφύριγμα sfýrigma |
| Română | fluierare, fluierat, fluierătură |
| Русский | свист svist, свисто́к svistók |
| Tiếng Việt | huýt |
| עברית | שְׁרִיקָה sh'riká |
noun sound similar to the sound made by whistling
| Español | silbato, pito, pitido |
|---|---|
| Português | apito, assobio |
| Deutsch | Pfeifen, Pfiff |
| Ελληνικά | σφύριγμα sfýrigma |
| Русский | свист svist |
verb to produce a whistling sound
| Español | silbar, chiflar, pitar, chuflar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 휘파람을 불다 hwiparam-eul bulda |
| 日本語 | 口笛を吹く kuchibue o fuku |
| 中文 | 吹口哨 chuī kǒushào, 鳴笛 /鸣笛 míngdí |
| हिन्दी | सीटी देना sīṭī denā |
| Português | assobiar, assoviar, apitar |
| Français | siffler |
| Deutsch | pfeifen, flöten |
| Italiano | fischiare |
| Ελληνικά | σφυρίζω sfyrízo |
| Română | fluiera, șuiera |
| Русский | свисте́ть svistétʹ, сви́стнуть svístnutʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | huýt, huýt sáo, huýt gió |
| العربية | صَفَرَ ṣafara, صَفَّرَ ṣaffara |
| עברית | שָׁרַק sharák |
verb to move in such a way as to make a whistling sound
| Español | silbar, chuflar |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | σφυρίζω sfyrízo |
| Русский | свисте́ть svistétʹ, просвисте́ть prosvistétʹ |
Talk about this word "whistle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whistle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. whistle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whistle "whistle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whistle.Cite this
@misc{whistle_2026,
title = {whistle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whistle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
