whistleblower

noun

whis·​tle·​blow·​er ˈ(h)wi-səl-ˌblō-ər 

variants or whistle-blower

plural whistleblowers or whistle-blowers

: one who reveals something covert or who informs against another

especially : an employee who brings wrongdoing by an employer or by other employees to the attention of a government or law enforcement agency

Note: A whistleblower is commonly protected legally from retaliation.

I think whistleblowers play a hugely important role in countering the worst corporate and government excesses.

—Damon Poeter

… pledges to protect whistle-blowers who fear reprisals for their efforts.

—Wall Street Journal

Congress also added significant new protection for whistleblowers. The 1986 act provides remedies including reinstatement, back-pay with interest, and, as appropriate, punitive damages for whistleblowers who are discharged, demoted, or discriminated against due to involvement with a False Claims disclosure.

—Bradford A. Penney

whistleblowing

ˈ(h)wi-səl-ˌblō-iŋ 

adjective

or whistle-blowing

a whistleblowing report

Many states have already enacted laws that protect whistle-blowing employees from retaliation.

—Greg Critser

whistleblowing noun

or whistle-blowing

… a National Security Agency agent who got in trouble for whistle-blowing.

—Renée Camus

Synonyms

• betrayer
• canary [slang]
• deep throat
• fink
• informant
• informer
• nark [British]
• rat
• rat fink
• snitch
• snitcher
• squealer
• stool pigeon
• stoolie
• talebearer
• tattler
• tattletale
• telltale

Examples of whistleblower in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Barnett sat for the depositions in his whistleblower’s case before the Department of Labor Administrative Law Judges seeking damages from Boeing for harassment, lost pay, and emotional distress. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024

Wilkerson filed a whistleblower complaint in August 2022 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging securities violations by the company. —Adriana Gomez Licon, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024

New whistleblower claims put Boeing's quality control under more scrutiny The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Salehpour's claims regarding the 787 and 777 production. —Gio Benitez, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2024

Another hard truth is that whistleblowers are treated less often as heroes and more as troublemakers. —Karla Miller, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

Word got out that there was a whistleblower wanting to meet. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

In 2019, the Times spoke to other Boeing whistleblowers at the plant in Charleston, South Carolina, where the 787 is made. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is forcefully instructing federal agencies and employees that NDAs do not supersede whistleblower rights. —Joe Davidson, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024

It’s supposed to be used to spy on foreigners—NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden made sure the world knew about that use case—but White House privacy advisers made clear at the time that Americans’ communications are also often scooped up. —David Meyer, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

whistleblower

noun

whis·​tle·​blow·​er

ˈhwi-səl-ˌblō-ər

: an employee who brings wrongdoing by an employer or other employees to the attention of a government or law enforcement agency and who is commonly vested by statute with rights and remedies for retaliation compare qui tam action

whistleblowing

-iŋ

noun