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
Damon Poeter … pledges to protect whistle-blowers who fear reprisals for their efforts. —Wall Street Journal
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
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
Greg Critser
whistleblowing
noun
or whistle-blowing
… a National Security Agency agent who got in trouble for whistle-blowing.
—Renée Camus
Renée Camus
Examples of whistleblower in a Sentence
There are laws to protect whistleblowers who reveal corporate malfeasance.
Recent Examples on the Web
The new whistleblower policy confirms that the Trump administration’s top issue remains immigration enforcement.
—Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Three months later, she was fired and replaced by an attorney who had previously worked for the Newsom administration but had no prior experience with juvenile justice, according to a whistleblower complaint Sharony filed last year.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
The Kansas City Council approved a $1.4 million settlement on Thursday that puts an end to all proceedings in the whistleblower lawsuit filed by the city’s former communications director, Chris Hernandez.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2025
Before his election as mayor, House said trustees were concerned that if Freeman was to have been let go without justification, Dolton would be open to a possible whistleblower lawsuit.
—Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whistleblower
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Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Three months later, she was fired and replaced by an attorney who had previously worked for the Newsom administration but had no prior experience with juvenile justice, according to a whistleblower complaint Sharony filed last year.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
The Kansas City Council approved a $1.4 million settlement on Thursday that puts an end to all proceedings in the whistleblower lawsuit filed by the city’s former communications director, Chris Hernandez.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2025
Before his election as mayor, House said trustees were concerned that if Freeman was to have been let go without justification, Dolton would be open to a possible whistleblower lawsuit.
—Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whistleblower
Cite this Entry
“Whistleblower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whistleblower. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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