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.
County Sheriff’s Department — can subpoena law enforcement agencies for whistleblower inquiries, a court ruled.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
According to the Foundation for Aviation Safety, a US body led by the former senior Boeing manager turned whistleblower, Ed Pierson, it suffered from a series of serious electrical problems throughout its lifetime.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
The cast also features Colman Domingo as a whistleblower trying to blow the lid off an alien coverup.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Then in April 2025, DHS transmitted to SSA a second list of 2.7 million individuals to be marked as dead, the whistleblower said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
The government investigation stems from a previously sealed whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2022 against First Brands, its Brake Parts and Centric Parts divisions, as well as a Chinese subsidiary, Longkou Haimeng Machinery.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 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.
