final whistle
/ˌfaɪn(ə)l wɪs(ə)l/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.86 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The blow of the whistle by the referee or other adjudicator signifying the end of a match.
Example Sentences
- "Before the next [tennis] game begins, the players in each court change partners: and the same routine is followed until the time agreed upon has elapsed, when the final whistle is sounded, scores are added up, and prizes awarded."
- "Only fifteen minutes now remained before the referee would blow the final whistle, and both teams exerted every effort to gain the mastery."
- "On December 14 Cornell's green, soph-laden basketball team tasted its first defeat as it fell before an experienced Niagara five. […] The second half Niagara jumped into the lead and held it until the final whistle."
- "It ended 1–0 to West Ham, and at the final whistle their players were going mad, knowing they were staying up [i.e., not being relegated]."
- "The final whistle prompted a pitch invasion – although there appeared to be an unwanted incident when a supporter seemed to punch Stevenage's Scott Laird, who subsequently fell to the ground."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
- Root: *bʰeyd-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌfaɪn(ə)l wɪs(ə)l/
- British English: /ˌfaɪnl̩ wɪsl̩/
Inflected Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Antonyms
starting whistle