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
California's Transparency in Frontier AI Act, in effect since January 2026, requires risk frameworks, incident reporting, and whistleblower protections.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The association also recommends that companies and nonprofits establish procedures to analyze their spending and set up whistleblower hotlines.
—Sarah Webber, Fortune, 24 May 2026
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced that his office had launched an investigation into the cause of the tank's failure, asking whistleblowers in the community to come forward with information.
—Austin Turner, CBS News, 24 May 2026
It was known about through whistleblowers, Department of Justice indictments under Biden and the videos of Nick Shirley.
—Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for whistleblower
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.
Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The association also recommends that companies and nonprofits establish procedures to analyze their spending and set up whistleblower hotlines.
—Sarah Webber, Fortune, 24 May 2026
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced that his office had launched an investigation into the cause of the tank's failure, asking whistleblowers in the community to come forward with information.
—Austin Turner, CBS News, 24 May 2026
It was known about through whistleblowers, Department of Justice indictments under Biden and the videos of Nick Shirley.
—Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for whistleblower
Cite this Entry
“Whistleblower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whistleblower. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
