noun
Meaning 1
A shrill, breathy sound; a whistle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
whistling
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈwɪs(ə)lɪŋ/ wine–whine merger
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[ˈwɪslɪŋ] wine–whine merger
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/ˈʍɪs(ə)lɪŋ/ without the wine–whine merger
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[ˈw̥ɪs(ə)lɪŋ] without the wine–whine merger
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CMU ARPABET: W IH1 S L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: HH W IH1 S L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
present participle and gerund of whistle
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
the act of whistling a tune
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- his cheerful whistling indicated that he enjoyed his work
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: music
noun
Meaning 4
the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the whistle signalled the end of the game
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: whistle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: signal, signaling, sign
noun
Meaning 5
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: whistle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sound
History
Etymology
From Middle English whistlinge, whystlynge, from Old English hwistlung, equivalent to whistle + -ing.
Inherited from Middle English whistlynge, equivalent to whistle + -ing.
Real reading context