whistled

Whistled is the past tense and past participle of the verb whistle. It can refer to the act of producing a high‑pitched sound by forcing air through a narrow passage in the lips, either as a skill (whistling a tune) or as a signal (referees whistle to start or stop play).

The sound can originate from the lips, teeth, tongue, or from a small mouth implement such as a whistle. Common whistling methods involve puckering the lips to create a small opening and blowing air forward; pitch is influenced by lip tension, mouth opening, air speed, and tongue position. Some techniques use the teeth or the edges of the mouth to direct air and modify resonance. Whistling can produce musical tones or simple noises, and it is used in various cultural contexts to convey emotion or attention.

In everyday usage, whistled is used to describe sounds resembling a whistle, such as “the wind whistled through the trees” or “she whistled a tune.” The term also appears in contexts where a whistle is used as a signal, for example a referee whistling to end a period or a ship signaling with a whistle. Beyond personal sound production, whistling features in literature, music, and media as a convenient auditory motif to imply urgency, playfulness, or atmosphere without vocalization.