whistleblower
WISS-ul-bloh-er
/ˈwɪsəlbloʊər/
A person who informs on a person or organization regarded as engaging in an unlawful or unethical activity.
Usually implies an insider (employee) who exposes secrets for the public good, often at great personal risk.
The story behind the word. Derived from the 19th-century practice of police officers blowing a whistle when they saw a crime to alert the public and other officers. Ralph Nader popularized the term in the 1970s to give the act a positive name.
Word relationships
- informant: Informant often has a negative, 'snitch' connotation, whereas whistleblower is usually seen as courageous or ethical.
Commonly confused with
- leaker: A leaker might release info for political gain; a whistleblower usually follows a specific legal process to report wrongdoing.
Collocations
- whistleblower protection
- blow the whistle
- anonymous whistleblower
Idioms & expressions
- blow the whistle
Example sentences
- "The whistleblower provided the SEC with internal documents proving that the bank had been falsifying mortgage records." Corporate Scandal
Memory hook
A whistleblower 'Blows the Whistle' to stop the 'Game' of corruption. Stop the foul play.
When not to use
Do not use for someone who reports a crime they witnessed on the street; it is specifically for organizational secrets.
Fun facts
- The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was the first major US law to provide significant legal protections for corporate whistleblowers.
Related words
Explore more words
disclosure, denounce, malfeasance, insider trading, speak up
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