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Whistling - 4 dictionary results
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whis⋅tling

  [hwis-ling, wis-]
Use Whistling in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of a person or thing that whistles.
2. the sound produced.
3. Veterinary Pathology. a form of roaring characterized by a peculiarly shrill sound.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE hwistlung. See whistle, -ing 1

whis⋅tle

  [hwis-uhl, wis-] verb, -tled, -tling, noun
–verb (used without object)
1. to make a clear musical sound, a series of such sounds, or a high-pitched, warbling sound by the forcible expulsion of the breath through a small opening formed by contracting the lips, or through the teeth, with the aid of the tongue.
2. to make such a sound or series of sounds otherwise, as by blowing on some device.
3. to emit similar sounds from the mouth, as birds do.
4. (of a device) to produce a similar sound when actuated by steam or the like: This teakettle whistles when it boils.
5. to move, go, pass, etc., with a whistling or whizzing sound, as a bullet or the wind.
–verb (used with object)
6. to produce by whistling: to whistle a tune.
7. to call, direct, or signal by or as by whistling: He whistled his dog over.
8. to send with a whistling or whizzing sound.
–noun
9. an instrument for producing whistling sounds by means of the breath, steam, etc., as a small wooden or tin tube, a pipe, or a similar device with an air chamber containing a small ball that oscillates when air is forced through an opening, producing a high-pitched, warbling tone.
10. a sound produced by whistling: a prolonged whistle of astonishment.
11. a simple fipple flute.
—Verb phrase
12. whistle for, to demand or expect without success: After promising to pay, he told us we could whistle for our money.
—Idioms
13. blow the whistle, to expose the existence of mischief or wrongdoing: The agent was taking bribes until someone finally blew the whistle.
14. blow the whistle on,
a. to bring a stop to; halt: Congress has blown the whistle on all unnecessary expenditures for the program.
b. to expose (wrongdoing or wrongdoers): to blow the whistle on corruption in high places.
15. wet one's whistle, Informal. to take a drink.
16. whistle in the dark, to attempt to summon up one's courage or optimism in a difficult situation: He says his business will improve next year, but he's probably just whistling in the dark.
Origin:
bef. 950; (v.) ME whistlen, OE hwistlian; akin to ON hvīsla to whistle, hviskra to whisper; see whine; (n.) ME; OE hwistle instrument, akin to the v.

Related forms:
whis⋅tle⋅a⋅ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Whistling
whis·tle   (hwĭs'əl, wĭs'-)   
v.   whis·tled, whis·tling, whis·tles

v.   intr.
  1. To produce a clear musical sound by forcing air through the teeth or through an aperture formed by pursing the lips.
  2. To produce a clear, shrill, sharp musical sound by blowing on or through a device.
    1. To produce a high-pitched sound when moving swiftly through the air: The stone whistled past my head.
    2. To produce a high-pitched sound by the rapid movement of air through an opening or past an obstruction: Wind whistled through the cracks in the windows.
  4. To emit a shrill, sharp, high-pitched cry, as some birds and other animals.
v.   tr.
  1. To produce by whistling: whistle a tune.
  2. To summon, signal, or direct by whistling.
  3. To cause to move with a whistling noise.
n.  
    1. A small wind instrument for making whistling sounds by means of the breath.
    2. A device for making whistling sounds by means of forced air or steam: a factory whistle.
  2. A sound produced by a whistling device or by whistling through the lips.
  3. A whistling sound, as of an animal or a projectile.
  4. The act of whistling.
  5. A whistling sound used to summon or command.

[Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlian.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Whistling

Whis"tling\, a. & n. from Whistle, v.

Whistling buoy. (Naut.) See under Buoy.

Whistling coot (Zo["o]l.), the American black scoter.

Whistling Dick. (Zo["o]l.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush (Colluricincla Selbii). (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]

Whistling duck. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck.

Whistling eagle (Zo["o]l.), a small Australian eagle (Haliastur sphenurus); -- called also whistling hawk, and little swamp eagle.

Whistling plover. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied, or gray, plover.

Whistling snipe (Zo["o]l.), the American woodcock.

Whistling swan. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The European whooper swan; -- called also wild swan, and elk. (b) An American swan (Olor columbianus). See under Swan.

Whistling teal (Zo["o]l.), a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India.

Whistling thrush. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus Myiophonus, native of Asia, Australia, and the East Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note is a loud and clear whistle. (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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