whistle
27
1.0
- noun
- /ˈwɪsəl/
- As Granny reads, a TRAIN WHISTLE pierces the night, and the kitchen table shakes.
- referee's whistle
- stop on the whistle
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Watch on YouTubeWell, when the whistle blew, they they backed off.
- Well, when the whistle blew, they they backed off.
- The truth is that many of us blow the final whistle ourselves by giving up.
- And I got racks of stuff, lights, buzzers, whistles, all kinds of stuff.
- I'm sure I saw holding when the whistle went, delighted, fist pump, clean sheet.
- And as soon as that whistle was blown, silence.
- Then after that it's a toss up because you have a whistle, a belt buckle and tequila.
- And all the minute that whistle blew, Yeah, it was silence.
- We've been giving out freebies, balloons, horns, whistles.
- Succeeds, makes a walking stick with a hidden high pitched whistle inside it.
- I'm floating in the darkness, but I've got a whistle.
Examples
-
How many times is a whistle blown in football to signal the time?
-
Suddenly he heard the whistle again, this time much louder and closer.
Fiction book (1990) -
When the teacher calls "stop" or blows a whistle, everyone must come to a full "stop."
Academic text (1996) -
Inside the box was a whistle, suspended from a black velvet ribbon.
Fiction book (1992) -
Suddenly, he heard a whistle, the one Ayla used to call Wolf.
Fiction book (1990) -
An individual's decision to blow the whistle might be based upon organizational, situational, or personal factors.
Academic text (2013) -
They saw it before noon, when the smoke first rose above the trees, before the whistle blew and the others departed.
-
Reaching up, he pulled a rope and the riverboat's whistle blasted forth again.
Fiction book (1992) -
A woman nearly the size of Mr. Jenkins, sporting a coach's whistle around her neck, entered the gym first.
Academic text (2003) -
The referee blew the whistle to indicate the end of the match.
Synonyms
1
4.2
A small simple metal flute that you play by blowing used in folk music
1
4.6
A loud horn on steam engines used to signal or warn
1
3.9
A loud sound at a factory that signals the start or end of work
1
4.9
A loud device on a boat that makes a signal sound to warn other ships
Idioms
- Informal
Expect to get something that is very unlikely, for example more pay
Compounds
47
5.0
A person who tells authorities or the public about illegal actions at their workplace
- Literature
12
8.7
A phrase that sends a hidden message about politics to a certain group
2
7.1
A series of short visits to small towns by a politician during an election campaign
How Loud
Surface Forms
Etymology
Whistle comes from an old English sound word whist that copies the sharp noise you make by blowing air. That's why a whistle is the small instrument used to make a loud, attention-getting sound.