What does whist mean?
Whist is best known as a classic trick-taking card game for four players divided into two partnerships. Players establish the trump suit and then compete to win tricks, making the game a predecessor of modern bridge and a familiar subject of nineteenth-century social history. Although whist is no longer a mainstream card game, traditional and revival versions are still played in clubs and at social events. The word can also name a high-pitched whistling or hissing sound, especially in literary or poetic contexts. Its historical importance lies partly in its influence on later partnership games, including bridge, while its unusual single-syllable sound gives it a distinctive place in English vocabulary. A person who plays whist is called a whister, and “whist drive” refers to a social gathering or series of games devoted to the card game.
nounA trick-taking card game for four players, played in two partnerships, historically one of the most influential partnership card games. Also, a high-pitched whistling or hissing sound.
- A partnership card game for four players, in which the players bid or otherwise agree on trumps and compete to win tricks.
- A high-pitched whistling, hissing, or rushing sound.
"They spent the evening playing whist and arguing cheerfully over the final hand."
"The club hosted a traditional whist drive for members and their guests."
"A sudden whist of wind passed through the old wooden shutters."
The plural is standard but uncommon; discussion of the card game more often uses “a game of whist” or the verb “play.”
"The old club organized several whists for members and their families."
Whist is the grand old ancestor of bridge: four players, two partnerships, and the enduring appeal of outwitting your opponents.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whist
The word comes through Middle English and is related to an older English word for silence or hush, traceable to Old English hwist. The name of the card game is traditionally associated with the practice of whistling to signal or call for particular cards, especially trumps. The sound sense follows the broader history of English words connected with whistling.
How whist is actually used
Whist as a card game is now chiefly historical or associated with traditional and revival play, though it remains recognizable in Britain and North America. The noun meaning a whistling sound is literary or poetic and less common in everyday speech.