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whistling buoy

whistling buoy

9.1
A floating marker that makes a whistling sound to warn ships of danger
  • noun
  • /ˈhwɪslɪŋ ˈbuːi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : boya silbante
  • The captain navigated carefully past the whistling buoy marking the entrance to the harbor.

Examples

  • Several whistling buoys are placed along the coastline to help ships avoid shallow waters.

  • As the fog rolled in, the sound of the whistling buoy grew louder, guiding the sailors safely.

  • The whistling buoy alerted sailors to the rocks nearby.

  • Have you seen the whistling buoy at the entrance of the harbor?

  • As the fog rolled in, the sound of the whistling buoy grew louder, helping the sailors find their way safely.

  • Several whistling buoys are positioned along the coastline to warn ships of hidden dangers.

  • The captain followed the sound of the whistling buoy to navigate through the narrow channel.

Synonyms

buoy
vswhistling buoy
  • Specialized
49 6.0

A floating object anchored in water that marks safe routes and hazards

emits an audible high pitched tone to warn vessels of danger
whistle buoy
vswhistling buoy
  • Specialized
8.4

A floating marker that makes a loud sharp sound to guide ships

is the same device but named with a different word form
acoustic buoy
vswhistling buoy
  • Specialized
7.7

A floating marker that makes sound to help ships find their way

uses a single high pitched signal instead of general sound emission

How Loud

horn
183 1.0
bell buoy
  • Specialized
1 7.0
whistling buoy
  • Specialized
9.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

whistling + buoy

The compound is directly compositional: 'whistling' (producing a whistle sound) modifies 'buoy' (an anchored floating marker), so a buoy that emits a whistling sound is immediately inferable. This present‑participle adjective + noun pattern is a regular, cross‑linguistic construction, making the meaning accessible to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The noun whistling buoy comes from a simple picture: a floating buoy that makes a high whistling sound when wind or waves pass through a small pipe, so sailors can hear it in fog. That's why a whistling buoy means 'a floating marker that makes a whistle to warn or guide ships'.