blow the whistle on

1. Expose corruption or other wrongdoing, as in The President's speech blew the whistle on the opposition's leaking information . [ Colloquial ; 1930s]

2. Put a stop to, as in The registry decided to blow the whistle on new vanity plates . The term originally alluded to ending an activity (such as factory work) with the blast of a whistle. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

“This appears to be another attempt by the Senator to retaliate against Mr. Condit and cause him and his family further harm for daring to stand up to her and blow the whistle on the Senator’s misconduct,” wrote Arya Rhodes, an attorney on the case.

From Los Angeles Times

But instead, Grasso claims, she was passed over as “officer in charge” when her superiors learned she had agreed to help blow the whistle on what she and others saw as a deep-seated culture of violence, secrecy and cover-ups.

From Los Angeles Times

Combs's former on-and-off girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, was first to blow the whistle on the self-proclaimed "bad boy for life".

From BBC

Judges are loath to blow the whistle on colleagues and have historically taken the position “Not my chambers, not my business.”

From Slate

Morrison said that conversation triggered his client’s need for justice and to blow the whistle on the Centurions for the hazing he allegedly endured in 2009.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adjourn
• arrest
• bar
• block
• break off
• cease
• curb
• deter
• end
• hamper
• impede
• interrupt
• stall
• stem
• stop
• suspend
• terminate