informant

noun

in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
Synonyms of informantnext
: a person who gives information: such as
a
: informer
b
: one who supplies cultural or linguistic data in response to interrogation by an investigator

Synonyms of informant

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Examples of informant in a Sentence

The police were alerted to the plot by a paid informant. We learned the language with the help of a native informant.
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At 17 he was arrested for twice selling crack cocaine to an informant. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 The court documents also note that Mosleh made the sale of the products to a confidential informant after Strang's and Hamilton's deaths, even warning the informant that people had been dying from the product. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 Many informants The issue of intelligence connections has shadowed the investigation ever since Moïse was found shot to death in his second-floor bedroom, and his wife, Martine, was seriously injured. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Mikey Madison stars as Frances Haugen, a Facebook employee turned informant who provided documents to The Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for informant

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of informant was in 1641

Rhymes for informant

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Browse Nearby Words

informal planning
informant
in forma pauperis
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Cite this Entry

“Informant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/informant. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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informant

noun
in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
: one who informs against another
specifically : one who makes a practice especially for money of informing police of others' criminal activities

More from Merriam-Webster on informant

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about informant

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