whistleblower

American  

[wis-uhl-bloh-er, hwis-] / ˈwɪs əlˌbloʊ ər, ˈʰwɪs- /

Sometimes whistle blower or whistle-blower

noun

1. a person who informs on another or makes public disclosure of corruption, wrongdoing, problems, or secret information, especially within an organization.

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Other Word Forms

• whistle-blowing noun
• whistleblowing noun

Etymology

Origin of whistleblower

First recorded in 1965–70; whistle ( def. ) + blower ( def. )

Example Sentences

In 2022, the nonprofit whistleblower site Distributed Denial of Secrets leaked more than 38,000 names on the Oath Keepers’ membership list.

From Salon

False-claims investigations are commonly initiated after a whistleblower or an internal government watchdog has tipped the Justice Department off to alleged fraud.

From The Wall Street Journal

Slovakia's constitutional court on Wednesday announced that it had suspended a law abolishing the country's whistleblower protection office, after protests in recent days.

From Barron's

In April 2024, David filed the suit under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which enables whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the government to recover taxpayer funds.

From The Wall Street Journal

The whistleblower told us Mr Hadari would then send the photo on to someone else, in Israel, whose name they were never told.

From BBC

Related Words

• informant
• informer