bells and whistles

plural noun

: items or features that are useful or decorative but not essential : frills

Examples of bells and whistles in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unfortunately, the group offered amazingly little of that over the course of the night, minimizing the bells and whistles during what could be properly dubbed a fairly boring stage show overall. — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

But, most of the time, bringing home a TV with all the extra bells and whistles is a hefty investment. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 29 July 2026

Its Platinum trim comes with all the bells and whistles for just shy of $50,000, which is about the average new vehicle price. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 10 July 2026

With a spacious 45-liter capacity and thoughtful details like hideaway shoulder straps, interior compression straps, and a dedicated laptop compartment, it's got all the bells and whistles and can still fit in the overhead. — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bells and whistles

• bristles
• missals
• missiles
• thistles
• dismissals
• epistles

Kids Definition

bells and whistles

plural noun

: items or features that are useful or decorative but not necessary

a new car with lots of bells and whistles