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
Christopher Bonk, a partner at Gilbert Employment Law, said the appeal has been filed, before an independent federal board aimed at protecting whistleblowers, against multiple federal agencies .
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Dellinger's lawyers say allowing the president to fire the special counsel without cause would have a chilling effect on the important duties of the office to protect whistleblowers.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
Daren Firestone is a partner at Levy Firestone Muse, where his practice focuses on representing whistleblowers in the crypto industry.
—Riley McDermid, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
But in that same opinion, Justice Roberts drew distinctions that suggested the court could take a different view of efforts to remove the whistleblower watchdog.
—Mark Sherman, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whistleblower
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Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Dellinger's lawyers say allowing the president to fire the special counsel without cause would have a chilling effect on the important duties of the office to protect whistleblowers.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
Daren Firestone is a partner at Levy Firestone Muse, where his practice focuses on representing whistleblowers in the crypto industry.
—Riley McDermid, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
But in that same opinion, Justice Roberts drew distinctions that suggested the court could take a different view of efforts to remove the whistleblower watchdog.
—Mark Sherman, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Feb. 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 14 Mar. 2025.
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