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

Experts said the most viable grounds for a suit would be violation of the Constitution’s domestic emoluments clause, which would only apply to public money given to Trump’s family or businesses, or the False Claims Act, which would require a whistleblower to come forward. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 18 May 2026

Pressure to align with the president’s agenda has only increased in recent months as the administration launches probes and recruits whistleblowers. —Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 15 May 2026

When the internal charges were filed, Stapp said, Jones and Creeden hired a forensic firm to try and find out who the whistleblowers were. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2026

Also among those whose cases Yost wants dismissed, according to court papers, is Leo DiSabato’s, a former OSU wrestler and older brother of whistleblower Mike DiSabato. —Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 11 May 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