whistle

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwistle; akin to Old Norse hvīsla to whisper Date: before 12th century 1. a. a small wind instrument in which sound is produced by the forcible passage of breath through a slit in a short tube <

a police whistle

> b. a device through which air or steam is forced into a cavity or against a thin edge to produce a loud sound <

a factory whistle

> 2. a. a shrill clear sound produced by forcing breath out or air in through the puckered lips b. the sound produced by a whistle c. a signal given by or as if by whistling 3. a sound that resembles a whistle; especially a shrill clear note of or as if of a bird II. verb (whistled; whistling) Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to utter a shrill clear sound by blowing or drawing air through the puckered lips b. to utter a shrill note or call resembling a whistle c. to make a shrill clear sound especially by rapid movement <

the wind whistled

> d. to blow or sound a whistle 2. a. to give a signal or issue an order or summons by or as if by whistling b. to make a demand without result <

he did a sloppy job, so he can whistle for his money

> transitive verb 1. a. to send, bring, signal, or call by or as if by whistling b. to charge (as a basketball or hockey player) with an infraction 2. to produce, utter, or express by whistling <

whistle a tune

> • whistleable adjective