noun

whistle

whistle, pipe

The referee blew his whistle.

The referee blew his whistle.

He gave a loud whistle to get my attention.

He gave a loud whistle to get my attention.

((sth.)) an instrument for making a high sound The referee has a whistle.

((of sth.)) a high sound made by blowing air The whistle of the train could be heard.

Synonyms: (sound) toot, pipe; (object) pipe

From Old English 'hwistlian' (to whistle). Onomatopoeic.

The 'wh' sound at the beginning is like blowing air, which is how you make a whistle sound.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.