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.
"When you have products designed to maximize capture of your attention, some people are going to have a harmful relationship to it," said Arturo Béjar, a Meta whistleblower who has testified against the company.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
The whistleblower said the bank violated rules meant to protect confidential information about clients and transactions from being mishandled.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Adamus sued the office as a whistleblower in 2019, claiming he was pressured to give favorable treatment to connected taxpayers, and was awarded damages as a result.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Federal whistleblower laws mean that anyone who reports such fraud is entitled, by law, to a substantial slice of whatever fraud the government finds.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
Sixteen years after The Social Network, which depicted the birth of Facebook, a sequel will explore the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Definitions 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.
