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
Others preferred to focus their attention on creating a cure for type 1 diabetes, not just building more bells and whistles for an existing treatment.
—
Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Looking for something with more bells and whistles (or just something a little more affordable)?
—Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
Our parent tester of a 1 year old was amazed by how much her 1 year old enjoyed all the bells and whistles.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
And while only the newest phone models can run all the artificial-intelligence bells and whistles, older devices can take advantage of the other features.
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bells and whistles
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Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Looking for something with more bells and whistles (or just something a little more affordable)?
—Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
Our parent tester of a 1 year old was amazed by how much her 1 year old enjoyed all the bells and whistles.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
And while only the newest phone models can run all the artificial-intelligence bells and whistles, older devices can take advantage of the other features.
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
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 20 Oct. 2025.
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