bells and whistles

plural noun

: items or features that are useful or decorative but not essential : frills

Examples of bells and whistles in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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When fully spec'd out with all the bells and whistles, the Launch Edition tops out at $51,500. New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2024 Since its introduction all the way back in 1968, the Carrera T has been the 911 to turn to for performance without all the unnecessary bells and whistles. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024 The bright space is without bells and whistles, but filled with small traditional touches. Rhonda Richford, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024 But this isn’t a film in thrall to star power, or indeed any cinematic bells and whistles: A late-summer thunderstorm, briefly menacing but causing no ultimate harm, represents the closest thing to a dramatic peak in screenwriter Robert Jones’s faithfully low-key adaptation. Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bells and whistles 

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bells and whistles was in 1968

Dictionary Entries Near bells and whistles

Cite this Entry

“Bells and whistles.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bells%20and%20whistles. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bells and whistles

plural noun
: items or features that are useful or decorative but not necessary
a new car with lots of bells and whistles

More from Merriam-Webster on bells and whistles

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