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blow the whistle

blow the whis·tle
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bloh stressed th ee hwis-uh l, wis-]
    • /bloʊ stressed ði ˈʰwɪs əl, ˈwɪs-/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bloh stressed th ee hwis-uh l, wis-]
    • /bloʊ stressed ði ˈʰwɪs əl, ˈwɪs-/

Definitions of blow the whistle words

  • noun blow the whistle to inform (on) 3
  • noun blow the whistle to bring a stop (to) 3
  • verb without object blow the whistle 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. 1
  • verb without object blow the whistle to make such a sound or series of sounds otherwise, as by blowing on some device. 1
  • verb without object blow the whistle to emit similar sounds from the mouth, as birds do. 1
  • verb without object blow the whistle (of a device) to produce a similar sound when actuated by steam or the like: This teakettle whistles when it boils. 1
See all 21 definitions of blow the whistle

Information block about the term

Origin of blow the whistle

First appearance:

before 950
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 950; (v.) Middle English whistlen, Old English hwistlian; akin to Old Norse hvīsla to whistle, hviskra to whisper; see whine; (noun) Middle English; Old English hwistle instrument, akin to the v.

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Blow the whistle

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Blow the whistle

blow the whistle popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

blow the whistle usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for blow the whistle

verb blow the whistle

  • finger — any of the terminal members of the hand, especially one other than the thumb.
  • rat — any of several long-tailed rodents of the family Muridae, of the genus Rattus and related genera, distinguished from the mouse by being larger.
  • sell out — to transfer (goods) to or render (services) for another in exchange for money; dispose of to a purchaser for a price: He sold the car to me for $1000.
  • snitch — to snatch or steal; pilfer.
  • spill the beans — the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
All 9 Synonyms of blow the whistle

See also

Matching words

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