Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

whistle

1. whis.tle \'hwis-*l, 'wis-\ n [ME, fr. OE hwistle; akin to ON hvi-sla to 
   whisper, hvi-na] often attrib  to whiz - more at WHINE 1a: a small wind 
   instrument in which sound is produced by the forcible pass age of breath 
   through a slit in a short tube {police ~} 1b: a device through which air or 
   steam is forced into a cavity or against  a thin edge to produce a loud 
   sound {factory ~} 2a: a shrill clear sound produced by forcing breath out 
   or air in through t he puckered lips 2b: the sound produced by a whistle  
   2c: a signal given by or as if by whistling  3: a sound that resembles a 
   whistle; specif : the shrill clear note  of a bird or other animal
2. whistle \-(*-)lin\ vb or whis.tling 1a: to utter a shrill clear sound by 
   blowing or drawing air through the pu ckered lips 1b: to utter a shrill 
   note or call resembling a whistle  1c: to make a shrill clear sound esp. by 
   rapid movement  1d: to blow or sound a whistle  2: to give a signal or 
   issue an order or summons by or as if by whistling  {~ to a dog}; specif : 
   to make a demand without result {did a sloppy job so he can ~ for his 
   money} 1: to send, bring, signal, or call by or as if by whistling  2: to 
   produce, utter, or express by whistling {~ a tune}