whistle

English

Etymology

Middle English whistlen; Old English hwistlan, from Proto-Germanic *hwistlōjanan

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /wɪsl̩/, X-SAMPA: /wIsl=/
• Rhymes: -ɪsəl

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

whistle (plural whistles)

1. A device designed to be placed in the mouth in order to make a whistling sound.
2. An act of whistling.
3. A shrill, high-pitched sound made by whistling.
4. Any high-pitched sound similar to the sound made by whistling.
5. (Cockney rhyming slang) A suit (from whistle and flute).
   • 2005, Wally Payne, A Minority of One: A Monkey's Tale Continued

     We soldiers changed into our No.1 dress uniforms, Sid into his best whistle and we set off for the church.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun whistle

bells and whistles clean as a whistle‎ it's not the whistle that pulls the train

wet one's whistle whistle-blower whistle pig

whistle-stop whistle walk

Translations

device used to make a whistling sound

• Afrikaans: fluit (af)
• Albanian: fishkëllimë (sq) f
• Armenian: սուլիչ (hy) (sulič) 
• Aromanian: fluiarã (rup) f
• Azeri: fit (az)
• Breton: c'hwitell (br) f, c'hwitelloù (br) pl
• Bulgarian: свирка (bg) (svirka) f 
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哨子 (cmn) (shàozi), 口哨 (cmn) (kǒushào), 口笛 (cmn) (kǒudí)

• Czech: píšťala (cs) f, píšťalka (cs) f
• Danish: fløjte (da) c
• Dutch: fluitje (nl) n
• Finnish: pilli (fi)
• French: sifflet (fr)
• Galician: chifre (gl) m
• German: Pfeife (de) f, Trillerpfeife (de) f, Flöte (de) f
• Greek: σφυρίχτρα (el) (sfyríchtra) f 
• Haitian Creole: siflèt
• Hungarian: síp (hu)
• Irish: feadóg (ga) f

• Italian: fischietto (it) m
• Japanese: 笛 (ja) (ふえ, fue), ホイッスル (ja) (hoissuru), 口笛 (ja) (くちぶえ, kuchibue)
• Khmer: កញ្ចែ (km) (kanh jeh)
• Latvian: svilpe (lv) f
• Luxembourgish: Päif (lb) f
• Malay: wisel (ms)
• Meru: thirimbi
• Polish: gwizdek (pl) m
• Portuguese: apito (pt) m
• Romanian: fluier (ro) n
• Russian: свисток (ru) (svistók) m 
• Scottish Gaelic: feadag (gd) f, feadan (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: pištaljka (sh) f, zviždaljka (sh) f, zviždalica f, pištalica f
• Spanish: chifle (es) m, pito (es) m, silbato (es) m
• Swahili: kipenga (sw), firimbi (sw), filimbi (sw)
• Swedish: vissla (sv) c, pipa (sv) c, visselpipa (sv) c
• Tagalog: sipol (tl), pito (tl)
• Turkish: ıslık (tr)
• Ukrainian: свист (uk) (svyst) m , свисток (uk) (svystok) m 
• Vietnamese: còi (vi), tiếng hót (vi), tiếng huýt (vi)

act of whistling

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 口哨 (cmn) (kǒushào), 口笛 (cmn) (kǒudí)

• German: Pfeifen (de) n
• Greek: σφύριγμα (el) (sfýrigma) n 
• Hebrew: שריקה (he) (sh'riká) f
• Japanese: 口笛 (ja) (くちぶえ, kuchibue)
• Latvian: svilpošana (lv) f

• Russian: свисток (ru) (svistók) m , свист (ru) (svist) m 
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: zvižduk (sh) m

• Swedish: vissling (sv) c
• Talysh:

  Asalemi: فوزه (fuza)

sound made by whistling

• Armenian: սուլոց (hy) (suloc’) 
• Breton: c'hwitelladenn (br) f, c'hwitelladennoù (br) pl
• Danish: fløjt (da) n
• Dutch: fluittoon (nl) m
• Finnish: vihellys (fi), vislaus (fi)
• French: sifflement (fr) m, sifflements (fr) m pl
• German: Pfeifen (de) n, Pfiff (de) m
• Greek: σφύριγμα (el) (sfýrigma) n , σφυριξιά (el) (sfyrixiá) f 
• Hungarian: füttyszó (hu)
• Italian: fischio (it) m
• Japanese: 口笛 (ja) (くちぶえ, kuchibue)

• Malay: siulan (ms)
• Polish: gwizd (pl) m
• Portuguese: apito (pt) m, assobio (pt) m, assovio (pt) m
• Romanian: fluierat (ro) n
• Russian: свист (ru) (svist) m 
• Scottish Gaelic: fead (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian: zvižduk (sh) m
• Spanish: silbato (es) m, pitido (es) m, chiflido (es) m, pitada (es) f
• Swahili: kipenga (sw)
• Swedish: vissling (sv) c

sound similar to the sound made by whistling

• Breton: c'hwitelladenn (br) f, c'hwitelladennoù (br) pl
• Danish: fløjt (da) n
• Dutch: fluittoon m
• Finnish: vihellys (fi)
• German: Pfeifen (de) n, Pfiff (de) m
• Greek: σφύριγμα (el) ((sfýrigma) n 
• Hungarian: sípszó
• Polish: gwizd m

• Portuguese: apito m, assobio m
• Russian: свист (ru) (svist) m 
• Scottish Gaelic: fead (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian: zvižduk m
• Spanish: silbato (es) m, pito (es) m, pitido (es)
• Swahili: kipenga (sw)
• Swedish: vissling (sv) c

slang: a suit — see suit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: صفارة (ʂufára) f
• Catalan: xiulet m
• Mandarin: 口哨 (kǒushào)
• French: sifflet m
• Indonesian: peluit

• Italian: fischietto, fischio
• Korean: 호르라기 (horeuragi)
• Swahili: kipenga
• Telugu: ఈల (eela), బూర (boora)

Verb

whistle (third-person singular simple present whistles, present participle whistling, simple past and past participle whistled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) 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.

   She was whistling a happy tune.

2. (intransitive) To move in such a way as to create a whistling sound.

   A bullet whistled past.

3. (transitive) To send, signal, or call by a whistle.
   • Addison

     He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he had whistled him up.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the verb whistle

whistle Dixie

whistle in the dark

whistle past the graveyard

Translations

to produce a whistling sound

• Armenian: սուլել (hy) (sulel) 
• Aromanian: shuir (rup)
• Breton: c'hwitellat (br)
• Catalan: xiular (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吹口哨 (cmn) (chuī kǒushào), 鳴笛 (cmn), 鸣笛 (cmn) (míngdí)

• Crimean Tatar: sızğırmaq
• Czech: pískat (cs)
• Dalmatian: sublar
• Danish: fløjte (da), hvisle (da)
• Dutch: fluiten (nl)
• Esperanto: fajfi (eo)
• Finnish: viheltää (fi)
• French: siffler (fr)
• Friulian: šivîlâ
• German: pfeifen (de), flöten (de)
• Greek: σφυρίζω (el) (sfyrízo) 
• Hungarian: fütyül (hu)

• Interlingua: sibilar (ia)
• Irish: lig fead
• Japanese: 口笛を吹く (ja) (くちぶえをふく, kuchibue-o fuku)
• Jèrriais: sûfflier
• Khmer: ហួច (km) (houch)
• Latvian: svilpt (lv)
• Occitan: siblar (oc), fiular (oc)
• Polish: gwizdać, świstać
• Portuguese: assobiar (pt), assoviar (pt)
• Romanian: fluiera (ro), șuiera (ro)
• Romansch: tschivlar (rm), schular (rm), tgular (rm), schivlar (rm), tschüvler (rm), tschüblar (rm)
• Russian: свистеть (ru) (svistét’)  impf., свистнуть (ru) (svístnut’)  pf.
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan fead (gd), fead (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian: zvižduk (sh) m
• Spanish: silbar (es), chiflar (es), pitar (es)
• Swahili: kipenga (sw)
• Swedish: vissla (sv)

to move is such a way as to make a whistling sound

• Breton: c'hwitellat (br)
• Danish: hvisle (da)
• Dutch: fluiten (nl)
• Finnish: viheltää (fi)
• Greek: σφυρίζω (el) (sfyrízo) 

• Hungarian: fütyül (hu), sivít (hu)
• Russian: свистеть (ru) (svistét’)  impf., просвистеть (ru) (prosvistét’)  pf.
• Serbo-Croatian: zviždanje (sh), zviždati (sh)
• Swahili: kipenga (sw)
• Swedish: vissla (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Catalan: xiular
• Serbo-Croatian: zviždati
• Esperanto: fajfi
• Indonesian: bersiul

• Portuguese: apitar, assobiar
• Spanish: chiflar, silbar
• Telugu: ఈల వేయు (eela vEyu), బూర ఊదు (boora oodu)

See also

• Whistle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• whistle in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.