Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: hwistle

whistle

2 noun
     
whistle
NEW! See related topics: COLOURS AND SOUNDSSPORT
whistle2 [countable]
1DSDG a small object that produces a high whistling sound when you blow into it:
The lifeguard blew his whistle.
2C a high sound made by blowing a whistle, by blowing air out through your lips, or when air or steam is forced through a small opening:
Larsson scored just minutes before the final whistle.
low/shrill/high-pitched etc whistle
Sanders gave a low whistle when he saw the contents of the box.
3 a piece of equipment on a train or boat that makes a high noise when air is forced through it
4C the sound of something moving quickly through the air
whistle of
We could hear the whistle of the jets as they passed overhead.

➔ blow the whistle on something

at blow1 (17)

; ➔ clean as a whistle

at clean1 (1), penny whistle, wolf whistle
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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