whistleblower

noun

whis·​tle·​blow·​er ˈ(h)wi-səl-ˌblō-ər How to pronounce whistleblower (audio)
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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following his whistleblower complaint alleging that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mishandled sensitive personal data of over 300 million Americans. Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025 The Administration deserves credit for undertaking its bold new whistleblower initiative. Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Who would be the whistleblower in the Epstein case? Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025 By some measures—including public procurement, asset declarations, whistleblower protections, and financial monitoring of public officials—Ukraine’s transparency and anticorruption mechanisms now surpass those in many long-standing European democracies. Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for whistleblower

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whistleblower was in 1906

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whistleblower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whistleblower. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on whistleblower

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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