whistle-stop

1 of 2

noun

whis·​tle-stop ˈ(h)wi-səl-ˌstäp How to pronounce whistle-stop (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: a small station at which trains stop only on signal : flag stop
b
: a small community
2
: a brief personal appearance especially by a political candidate usually on the rear platform of a train during the course of a tour

whistle-stop

2 of 2

verb

whistle-stopped; whistle-stopping; whistle-stops

intransitive verb

: to make a tour especially in a political campaign with many brief personal appearances in small communities

Examples of whistle-stop in a Sentence

Noun for that all-important primary election, candidates are willing to go to every whistle-stop in the state
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In the recent past, top awards contenders would make the full Venice–Telluride–Toronto whistle-stop circuit, using each festival to target a different constituency: international critics and voters at Venice, U.S. tastemakers and guild influencers in Telluride, and mass audiences in Toronto. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025 On a recent evening in Nuuk, Jensen took USA TODAY on a whistle-stop tour of a few of Nuuk's live music hotspots, where the acts included lounge singers, folk rock bands and jazz artists. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 6 July 2025 Commander Lawrence leads a whistle-stop tour of his one-gazebo town. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025 As ever, this year’s lineup offers a snapshot of film festival highlights, taking us on a whistle-stop tour of the big five — Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto — with titles that made an impact at events in Warsaw, Thessaloniki, Taipei, Locarno, Málaga, Haugesund and Karlovy Vary. Damon Wise, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024 On Monday, the last day before the election, Harris finally came to Allentown for a whistle-stop rally. Julia Preston, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whistle-stop was circa 1925

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whistle-stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whistle-stop. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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