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
There are a lot fewer bells and whistles around this deeper work.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
There are fewer bells and whistles around this deeper work now, but life’s discoveries and mysteries are even more compelling to me.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
Whether the bells and whistles of this shining new basketball mecca do anything to help its team ascend to Southern California hoops royalty and dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers is a totally different issue.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 12 Feb. 2026
The nurse checked all your bells and whistles and plugged notes into your chart before noticing that the tape holding your breathing machine in place needed adjusting.
—Jasmin 'iolani Hakes, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bells and whistles
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Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
There are fewer bells and whistles around this deeper work now, but life’s discoveries and mysteries are even more compelling to me.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
Whether the bells and whistles of this shining new basketball mecca do anything to help its team ascend to Southern California hoops royalty and dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers is a totally different issue.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 12 Feb. 2026
The nurse checked all your bells and whistles and plugged notes into your chart before noticing that the tape holding your breathing machine in place needed adjusting.
—Jasmin 'iolani Hakes, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bells and whistles
Cite this Entry
“Bells and whistles.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bells%20and%20whistles. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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