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
Sara Merican, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
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
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
Sara Merican, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
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
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Noun
Jeong says that Mad About Seafood is far from just a whistle-stop tour of Korea’s culinary highlights, but instead, an in-depth program about culture and heritage that also provided space for Lee to share more about his identity as a Korean-American.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
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
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
Jeong says that Mad About Seafood is far from just a whistle-stop tour of Korea’s culinary highlights, but instead, an in-depth program about culture and heritage that also provided space for Lee to share more about his identity as a Korean-American.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
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 31 Oct. 2025.
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