whis·tle-stop
ˈ(h)wi-səl-ˌstäp 
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-stopped; whistle-stopping; whistle-stops
: 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
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
Gaby Keiderling, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
Instead of embarking on an adventure with the aim of seeing as many species as possible—akin to whistle-stopping at multiple European countries in a week—people want to learn as much as possible about a specific animal.
—Gaby Keiderling, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whistle-stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whistle-stop. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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