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

Examples of whistleblower in a Sentence

There are laws to protect whistleblowers who reveal corporate malfeasance.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Redlands’ city records and the Redlands News, Martinez retired last April as part of a $871,956 settlement agreement related to a whistleblower claim against the city. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Former Cigna executive turned whistleblower, Wendell Potter, says that healthier people are dropping Affordable Care Act coverage while the remaining risk pool is in comparatively poor health. — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

However, in August 2025, the Missouri state auditor’s office announced the results of an investigation into the district, stemming from a whistleblower complaint into the use of district credit cards. — Ilana Arougheti july 10, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

In 2013, Scott Haggerty’s longtime chief of staff, Chris Gray, filed a high-profile whistleblower and wrongful termination suit after he was let go. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whistleblower

• blower
• goer
• grower
• jowar
• knower
• lower
• mower
• rower
• slower
• sower
• thrower

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