blow the whistle
The phrase 'blow the whistle' can either refer to exposing wrongdoing or signaling an event in sports.
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Definition
B2General
(idiomatic, informal)To reveal or report illegal or unethical activities to the authorities or the public.
Example
- She decided to blow the whistle on the company's unsafe practices.
- The journalist blew the whistle on the corruption scandal.
B1Sports
(technical)To signal the end or interruption of a game or event by using a whistle.
Example
- The referee blew the whistle to stop the game due to a foul.
- He blew the whistle to mark the end of the match.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "blow the whistle":
blow the gaffwolf whistleblow someone's coverwhistle fortell onblow outblow a gasketblow waterdog whistledrop a dimeblow downblow the roof offblow up