[syn: whistle, sing]
6. give a signal by whistling;
- Example: "She whistled for her maid"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Whistle \Whis"tle\, v. t.
[1913 Webster]
1. To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a
tune or an air.
[1913 Webster]
2. To send, signal, or call by a whistle.
[1913 Webster]
He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he
had whistled him up. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
To whistle off.
(a) To dismiss by a whistle; -- a term in hawking. "AS a
long-winged hawk when he is first whistled off the
fist, mounts aloft." --Burton.
(b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; to
dismiss.
[1913 Webster]
I 'ld whistle her off, and let her down the wind
To prey at fortune. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Note: "A hawk seems to have been usually sent off in this
way, against the wind when sent in search of prey; with
or down the wind, when turned loose, and abandoned."
--Nares.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Whistle \Whis"tle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whistled; p. pr. & vb.
n. Whistling.] [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan.
hvisle, Icel. hv[imac]sla to whisper, and E. whisper.
[root]43. See Whisper.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by
forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by
contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or
series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.
[1913 Webster]
The weary plowman leaves the task of day,
And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way. --Gay.
[1913 Webster]
2. To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument,
somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp,
shrill tone.
[1913 Webster]
3. To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill
sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air.
[1913 Webster]
The wild winds whistle, and the billows roar.
--Pope.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Whistle \Whis"tle\, n. [AS. hwistle a pipe, flute, whistle. See
Whistle, v. i.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by
forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or
through or instrument which gives a similar sound; the
sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill
note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a
boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle.
[1913 Webster]
Might we but hear
The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes, .
. .
Or whistle from the lodge. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
The countryman could not forbear smiling, . . . and
by that means lost his whistle. --Spectator.
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They fear his whistle, and forsake the seas.
--Dryden.
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2. The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or
through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like,
passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much
used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping
through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of
a metallic bell or cup.
[1913 Webster]
3. An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity,
or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like
that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips;
as, a child's whistle; a boatswain's whistle; a steam
whistle (see Steam whistle, under Steam).
[1913 Webster]
The bells she jingled, and the whistle blew. --Pope.
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4. The mouth and throat; -- so called as being the organs of
whistling. [Colloq.]
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So was her jolly whistle well ywet. --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
Let's drink the other cup to wet our whistles.
--Walton.
[1913 Webster]
Whistle duck (Zool.), the American golden-eye.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
whistle
n 1: the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam
coming out of a small aperture [syn: whistle,
whistling]
2: the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or
blowing a whistle; "the whistle signalled the end of the
game" [syn: whistle, whistling]
3: a small wind instrument that produces a whistling sound by
blowing into it
4: acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or
into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound
5: an inexpensive fipple flute [syn: pennywhistle, tin
whistle, whistle]
v 1: make whistling sounds; "He lay there, snoring and
whistling"
2: move with, or as with, a whistling sound; "The bullets
whistled past him"
3: utter or express by whistling; "She whistled a melody"
4: move, send, or bring as if by whistling; "Her optimism
whistled away these worries"
5: make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound; "the kettle was
singing"; "the bullet sang past his ear" [syn: whistle,
sing]
6: give a signal by whistling; "She whistled for her maid"
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
356 Moby Thesaurus words for "whistle":
Angelus, Angelus bell, English horn, Klaxon, Mayday, Pandean pipe,
SOS, air-raid alarm, alarm, alarm bell, alarm clock, alarm signal,
alarum, alert, all clear, anthem, assibilation, aulos, bagpipe,
ballad, basset horn, basset oboe, bassoon, battle cry, bay, beacon,
beam, beep, bell, birdcall, birdies, blare, blast, blat,
blinking light, blooping, blow, blow a horn, blow the horn,
blurping, boiler factory, boiler room, bombard, boo, bray, bugle,
bugle call, bull-roarer, burglar alarm, buzz, buzzer, cackle, call,
caper, caracole, carillon, carol, catcall, caterwaul, caw, chant,
chatter, cheep, cherry bomb, chirk, chirp, chirr, chirrup, chitter,
choir, chorus, chuck, clack, clacker, clap hands, clapper,
clarinet, clarion, cluck, cock-a-doodle-doo, contrabassoon,
contrafagotto, coo, cracker, creak, cricket, croak, cromorne,
cronk, croon, crostarie, crow, cuckoo, dance, delight, descant,
distortion, do-re-mi, doodle, double bassoon, double reed,
double-tongue, drum, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing,
exult, fanfare, feedback, fiery cross, fife, fipple flute,
fire alarm, fire bell, fire flag, firecracker, five-minute gun,
fizz, fizzle, fizzling, flageolet, flashing light,
flourish of trumpets, flute, flutter, fluttering, fog bell,
fog signal, foghorn, frication, frictional rustling, frisk, frolic,
gabble, gaggle, gale warning, gambol, give the bird,
give the raspberry, glory, glow, gobble, groan, growl, guggle,
hautboy, heckelphone, hiss, hissing, honk, hoo, hoot, hooter, horn,
hornpipe, howl, howling, hue and cry, hum, hurricane warning, hush,
hushing, hymn, intonate, intone, joy, jubilate, keen, last post,
laugh, licorice stick, lighthouse, lilt, lip, lisp, minstrel, moan,
moose call, motorboating, murmur, musette, mutter, noisemaker,
note of alarm, oaten reed, oboe, oboe da caccia, ocarina,
occulting light, panpipe, peal, peep, penny-whistle, piccolo, pip,
pipe, police whistle, pommer, psalm, quack, quaver, radiate cheer,
rallying cry, rattle, rattlebox, rebel yell, recorder, reed,
reed instrument, rejoice, reveille, revel, rhonchus, roar, roll,
rollick, romp, roulade, rumble, sax, saxophone, scold, scratching,
screak, scream, screech, serenade, shake, shawm, shredding, shriek,
shrill, shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, siffle,
sigh, sigmatism, signal of distress, sing, sing in chorus,
single reed, single-reed instrument, siren, siss, sissing, sizz,
sizzle, sizzling, skip, skip for joy, skirl, skreigh,
small-craft warning, smile, snapper, snarl, sneeze, sneezing,
sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, sob, sol-fa,
solmizate, sonorophone, sough, sound, sound a tattoo, sound taps,
sparkle, spit, splutter, sputter, squash, squawk, squeak, squeal,
squeals, squelch, squish, static, steam whistle, sternutation,
stertor, still alarm, storm cone, storm flag, storm warning,
summons, sweet potato, swish, syrinx, tabor pipe, tantara,
tantarara, taps, tarantara, tattoo, tenoroon, ticktack,
tin-whistle, tocsin, tongue, toot, tootle, tremolo, trill,
triple-tongue, troll, trumpet, trumpet blast, trumpet call,
tweedle, tweedledee, tweet, twit, twitter, two-minute gun, ululate,
ululation, upside-down flag, vocalize, wail, war cry, warble,
wheeze, whine, whish, whisper, whistle at, whistles, whistling,
white noise, whiz, whizgig, whizzer, whoosh, wind, wind the horn,
woods, woodwind, woodwind choir, woodwind instrument, woomping,
wow, wowwows, wrawl, yammer, yodel, zip