Whistle vs. Kazoo — What's the Difference?

A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means.

The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of mirliton (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifies its player's voice by way of a vibrating membrane of goldbeater's skin or material with similar characteristics.

To produce a clear musical sound by forcing air through the teeth or through an aperture formed by pursing the lips.

A simple musical instrument consisting of a metal or plastic tube with a single hole covered by a thin membrane that produces a buzzing sound when the player hums or sings into the mouthpiece.

To produce a clear, shrill, sharp musical sound by passing air over or through an opening

(musical instrument) A simple musical instrument (a membranophone) consisting of a pipe with a hole in it, producing a buzzing sound when the player hums into it.

To produce a high-pitched sound when moving swiftly through the air

To play the kazoo.

To produce a high-pitched sound by the rapid movement of air through an opening or past an obstruction

A kind of toy or rude musical instrument, as a tube inside of which is a stretched string or membrane made to vibrate by singing or humming into the tube.

To emit a shrill, sharp, high-pitched cry, as some birds and other animals.

A toy wind instrument that has a membrane that makes a sound when you hum into the mouthpiece

To produce by whistling

To summon, signal, or direct by whistling

(Sports) To signal a rule infraction committed by (a player).

A small wind instrument for making whistling sounds by means of the breath.

A device for making whistling sounds by means of forced air or steam

A sound produced by a whistling device or by whistling through the lips.

A whistling sound, as of an animal or projectile.

A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound.

An act of whistling.

A shrill, high-pitched sound made by whistling.

Any high-pitched sound similar to the sound made by whistling.

(Cockney rhyming slang) A suit (from whistle and flute).

(colloquial) The mouth and throat; so called as being the organs of whistling.

(ambitransitive) To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through the mouth. To produce a whistling sound, restrictions to the flow of air are created using the teeth, tongue and lips.

(ambitransitive) To make a similar sound by forcing air through a musical instrument or a pipe etc.

(intransitive) To move in such a way as to create a whistling sound.

(transitive) To send, signal, or call by a whistle.

To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.

To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument, somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp, shrill tone.

To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air.

To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a tune or an air.

To send, signal, or call by a whistle.

A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or through or instrument which gives a similar sound; the sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle.

The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like, passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of a metallic bell or cup.

An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity, or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips; as, a child's whistle; a boatswain's whistle; a steam whistle (see Steam whistle, under Steam).

The mouth and throat; - so called as being the organs of whistling.

The sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture

The act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle;

Acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound

An inexpensive fipple flute

Make whistling sounds;

Move with, or as with, a whistling sound;

Utter or express by whistling;

Move, send, or bring as if by whistling;

Make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound;

Give a signal by whistling;