whistleblower
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of whistleblower
First recorded in 1965–70; whistle ( def. ) + blower ( def. )
Explanation
A whistleblower is someone who reveals illegal activity that's been going on at their workplace. By making their allegations, most whistleblowers put their jobs in jeopardy. Whistleblowers have exposed all kinds of wrongdoing at both private companies and government agencies, from fraud and illegal hiring practices to corruption and public health dangers. Many historians consider Benjamin Franklin to be the first U.S. whistleblower, for leaking letters between British officials, an action that was seen as a step toward revolution. The term wasn't applied to the act of revealing secret information until the 1970s, when activist Ralph Nader used it lieu of negative words like "snitch."
Vocabulary lists containing whistleblower
Simply Scandalous!
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U.S. Government - Middle School and High School
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U.S. Government - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Writer and director Aaron Sorkin chose to focus on a Facebook whistleblower and a Wall Street Journal reporter instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Johnson was the original whistleblower calling attention to the Libor scandal but pleaded guilty on advice that he had little chance of winning at trial.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Leading artificial intelligence companies do not know how to keep AI systems from pursuing objectives their developers did not assign, whistleblower Jacob Coxon, a former OpenAI and Anthropic employee, warned Monday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Homeland Security spokesperson rejected the whistleblower claims, saying its work has been “conducted diligently and professionally” as part of a “commonplace law enforcement” effort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
That, the whistleblower account warned, could lead to a “catastrophic failure” that prevents millions of Americans from voting.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
