blow the whistle on
Idioms-
Expose corruption or other wrongdoing, as in The President's speech blew the whistle on the opposition's leaking information . [ Colloquial ; 1930s]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, eight months later, Smith filed his own lawsuit against the city, alleging he faced retaliation for trying to blow the whistle on a range of misconduct within the LAPD.
From Los Angeles Times
The BBC's undercover reporter repeatedly filmed officers revelling in the use of force, revealing a culture of confidence and trust that colleagues would not blow the whistle on them.
From BBC
They urged him to appeal, to blow the whistle on the whole plot.
From BBC
It “would safeguard the rights of federal employees who blow the whistle on violations of laws, including by their supervisors,” he said.
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
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.
