Meaning of "whistle" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WHISTLE

Old English hwistlian; related to Old Norse hvīsla.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF WHISTLE

whistle  [ˈwɪsəl]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHISTLE

Whistle is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb whistle in English.

WHAT DOES WHISTLE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Whistle

A whistle is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a large multi-piped church organ.

Definition of whistle in the English dictionary

The first definition of whistle in the dictionary is to produce, as by passing breath through a narrow constriction most easily formed by the pursed lips. Other definition of whistle is to signal, summon, or command by whistling or blowing a whistle. Whistle is also to produce caused by the emission of steam through a small aperture.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WHISTLE

PRESENT

Present

I whistle

you whistle

he/she/it whistles

we whistle

you whistle

they whistle

Present continuous

I am whistling

you are whistling

he/she/it is whistling

we are whistling

you are whistling

they are whistling

Present perfect

I have whistled

you have whistled

he/she/it has whistled

we have whistled

you have whistled

they have whistled

Present perfect continuous

I have been whistling

you have been whistling

he/she/it has been whistling

we have been whistling

you have been whistling

they have been whistling

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I whistled

you whistled

he/she/it whistled

we whistled

you whistled

they whistled

Past continuous

I was whistling

you were whistling

he/she/it was whistling

we were whistling

you were whistling

they were whistling

Past perfect

I had whistled

you had whistled

he/she/it had whistled

we had whistled

you had whistled

they had whistled

Past perfect continuous

I had been whistling

you had been whistling

he/she/it had been whistling

we had been whistling

you had been whistling

they had been whistling

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will whistle

you will whistle

he/she/it will whistle

we will whistle

you will whistle

they will whistle

Future continuous

I will be whistling

you will be whistling

he/she/it will be whistling

we will be whistling

you will be whistling

they will be whistling

Future perfect

I will have whistled

you will have whistled

he/she/it will have whistled

we will have whistled

you will have whistled

they will have whistled

Future perfect continuous

I will have been whistling

you will have been whistling

he/she/it will have been whistling

we will have been whistling

you will have been whistling

they will have been whistling

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would whistle

you would whistle

he/she/it would whistle

we would whistle

you would whistle

they would whistle

Conditional continuous

I would be whistling

you would be whistling

he/she/it would be whistling

we would be whistling

you would be whistling

they would be whistling

Conditional perfect

I would have whistle

you would have whistle

he/she/it would have whistle

we would have whistle

you would have whistle

they would have whistle

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been whistling

you would have been whistling

he/she/it would have been whistling

we would have been whistling

you would have been whistling

they would have been whistling

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you whistle
we let´s whistle
you whistle

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to whistle

Past participle

whistled

Present Participle

whistling

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

TRANSLATION OF WHISTLE

Find out the translation of whistle to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of whistle from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «whistle» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 口哨
• Translator English - Spanish: silbato
• English: whistle
• Translator English - Hindi: सीटी
• Translator English - Arabic: صَفَّارَة
• Translator English - Russian: свист
• Translator English - Portuguese: apito
• Translator English - Bengali: বাঁশি
• Translator English - French: sifflet
• Translator English - Malay: Wisel
• Translator English - German: Pfeife
• Translator English - Japanese: 口笛
• Translator English - Korean: 호루라기
• Translator English - Javanese: Whistle
• Translator English - Vietnamese: tiếng huýt sáo
• Translator English - Tamil: விசில்
• Translator English - Marathi: शीळ घालणे
• Translator English - Turkish: ıslık
• Translator English - Italian: fischietto
• Translator English - Polish: gwizdek
• Translator English - Ukrainian: свисток
• Translator English - Romanian: fluier
• Translator English - Greek: σφυρίχτρα
• Translator English - Afrikaans: fluitjie
• Translator English - Swedish: vissling
• Translator English - Norwegian: fløyte

10 QUOTES WITH «WHISTLE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word whistle.

1

Uzo Aduba

When I was little, I didn't smile much. Don't get me wrong. I was a happy kid, but I couldn't stand the space, dead center, in between my teeth. Yeah, I could whistle through it, but so what? That didn't win me many points on the playground in Medfield, Massachusetts.

2

Thomas Beecham

Composers should write tunes that chauffeurs and errand boys can whistle.

3

Aneurin Bevan

He seems determined to make a trumpet sound like a tin whistle.

4

Geraldine Brooks

'You've got mail!' exclaims the cheery automaton at America Online. The flag on the mailbox icon waves invitingly on my computer screen. For a second, I'm 10 years old again, waiting for the postman's whistle to slice the stillness of an Australian afternoon.

5

Jeff Dunham

As humans we like to laugh at our fears, we like to whistle in the dark.

6

Robert Englund

I think superheroes today are like whistle blowers.

7

Milos Forman

You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.

8

William Christopher Handy

I knew the whistle of each of the river boats on the Tennessee.

9

Mitch Hedberg

I drank some boiling water because I wanted to whistle.

10

Eartha Kitt

I used to love it when I walked down the street and construction workers would whistle.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHISTLE»

Discover the use of whistle in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to whistle and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Blowing the Whistle: The Organizational and Legal ...

An all inclusive resource for companies and individuals.

Marcia P. Miceli, 1992

Wolf Whistle: A Novel

In 1955, in Arrow-Catcher, Mississippi, fourth-grade teacher Alice Conroy, hoping to teach her children something important, takes her class on field trips to the bedside of a terminally burned classmate, the sewage plant, a funeral parlor, ...

Lewis Nordan, 2003

How to Whistle Like a Pro!

Discusses breath control, pitch, tone, and musicianship, and includes recordings by professional whistlers

David Harp, 1989

The Silver Whistle

Produced at the Phoenix Theatre in New York.

Robert E. Mcenroe, 1950

Whistle-Blowing in Organizations

This book is a research based book on whistle-blowing in organizations.

Marcia P. Miceli, Janet Pollex Near, Terry M. Dworkin, 2013

A Complete Guide to Learning the Irish Tin Whistle

(Waltons Irish Music Books).

Claire McKenna, 2004

Electronic Whistle-stops: The Impact of the Internet on ...

A lively examination of how the Internet is used in American politics to inform, persuade, enlighten, and even confuse voters.

Gary W. Selnow, 1998

The Penny Whistle Birthday Party Book

A collection of thirty new ideas for birthday celebrations offers such birthday themes as Mermaids, the Wizard of Oz, and a Doll Shower, and offfers party suggestions for hard-to-please teenagers

Meredith Brokaw, Annie Gilbar, Jill Weber, 1992

Little Whistle

Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and artist Tim Bowers once again bring the cozy world of Toytown to life in this easy-to-read picture book.

Cynthia Rylant, 2007

MouthSounds: How to Whistle, Pop, Boing, and Honk... for All ...

Presents instructions on making sounds and special effects, including how to create sounds for vocal characters, animals, musical instruments, and street noises, along with tips for actors, musicians, and puppeteers.

Fred Newman, 2004

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHISTLE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term whistle is used in the context of the following news items.

Angels in the Outfield? They're a Whistle Away

In a piercing staccato, Dino Ebel's whistle can penetrate the noise from tens of thousands of rowdy baseball fans. And it can trigger a quick shift in defensive ... «New York Times, May 15»

CFL touches down with Whistle Sports

The CFL has teamed with New York-based MCN Whistle Sports in a sales and content partnership intended to expand the football league's reach with ... «StreamDaily, May 15»

Wolf-whistle backlash: Police and woman under fire after complaint …

Sarah Green, Acting Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said wolf-whistling represented “everyday sexism” which should be stamped out. «Express.co.uk, Apr 15»

Romney turns off fire whistle following complaints

Romney Fire Chief G.T. Parsons said the decision to silence the whistle was made following complaints and threats of a lawsuit from a citizen. Parsons said ... «West Virginia MetroNews, Apr 15»

'Dog-whistle' politics accusations fly between Canadian parties

Dog whistle is a term that hasn't been used much in Canadian politics until now but it is bound to be heard more frequently as politicians count down to the ... «CBC.ca, Mar 15»

Doggy Fitness Tracker Whistle Raises $15 Million, Acquires Tagg

In a dog-eat-dog world, one doggy wearable buys another: San Francisco-based Whistle has acquired San Diego-based Tagg for an undisclosed sum, Whistle ... «Wall Street Journal, Jan 15»

Whistle Sports Video Network Is Not ESPN, and It Has Raised $28 …

2014 was the year many big Web video networks, after insisting they were going to be the next generation of big cable networks, decided they were better off ... «Re/code, Jan 15»

Photos, Videos: Tonight Is Pratt's Final NYE Steam Whistle Celebration

Tonight, starting at around 11:00 p.m., Pratt Institute's Chief Engineer Conrad Milster will once again invite anyone and everyone to come play with his ... «Gothamist, Jan 15»

Booking.com fraud: Whistle-blower reveals how customers' details …

A whistle-blower has revealed how he helped fraudsters trick thousands of booking.com customers out of cash. Around 10,000 people handed money over to ... «Mirror.co.uk, Dec 14»

New York Protesters 'Blow The Whistle' At Police Stations

(Reuters) - Demonstrators staged mass "whistle-blowing" rallies outside police stations across New York City on Friday to start a second weekend of planned ... «International Business Times, Dec 14»