blow the whistle
To disclose information to the public or to appropriate authorities concerning the…To disclose information to the public or to appropriate authorities concerning the illegal or socially harmful actions of a person or group, especially a corporation or government agency.
» The police officer blew his whistle.
Полицейский дунул в свой свисток. — odexed
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(idiomatic, usually)To disclose information to the public or to appropriate authorities concerning the illegal or socially harmful actions of a person or group, especially a corporation or government agency.
In some jurisdictions, it is illegal to fire a person for blowing the whistle on an employer.
verpfeifen, ausposaunen
To make a piercing sound which signals a referee's action or the end of a game.
pfeifen, abpfeifen
Examples
24 sentencesThe police officer blew his whistle.
ruПолицейский дунул в свой свисток. — odexed
The policeman blew his whistle for the car to stop.
deDer Polizist signalisierte dem Wagen mit der Trillerpfeife, dass er anhalten sollte. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
The referee blew his whistle twice to tell everyone it was full-time.
The referee blew his whistle.
I won't blow the whistle.
Translations
5 languagesBy meaning 2
Origin
When used idiomatically, probably an allusion to a police officer blowing his or her whistWhen used idiomatically, probably an allusion to a police officer blowing his or her whistle on observing a violation of the law.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
blows the whistle, blowing the whistle, blew the whistle, blown the whistle| Base form | blow the whistle · to blow the whistle |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | blows the whistle |
| Present participle | blowing the whistle |
| Past simple | blew the whistle |
| Past participle | blown the whistle |
irregular · Lesson
Synonyms
2 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.