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
Even whistleblowers, the ultimate storytellers of truth, are often contractually forbidden to tell it.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The group confronted Turner about the donation at the February 2024 board meeting, and dissatisfied with her response, at least four of them — those who made the whistleblower complaint — resigned, according to the complaint.
—Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
What the whistleblower suit is about The two whistleblowers are John McCullough, who worked in the Medicaid office from 2008 to 2017, and James Holden, who worked as general counsel in the state treasurer's office for two stints between 2007 and 2014.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
What’s more, the DOJ is encouraging whistleblowers to file lawsuits on the government’s behalf and potentially receive a portion of the windfall.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whistleblower
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Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The group confronted Turner about the donation at the February 2024 board meeting, and dissatisfied with her response, at least four of them — those who made the whistleblower complaint — resigned, according to the complaint.
—Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
What the whistleblower suit is about The two whistleblowers are John McCullough, who worked in the Medicaid office from 2008 to 2017, and James Holden, who worked as general counsel in the state treasurer's office for two stints between 2007 and 2014.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
What’s more, the DOJ is encouraging whistleblowers to file lawsuits on the government’s behalf and potentially receive a portion of the windfall.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 22 Oct. 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 1 Nov. 2025.
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