informant
noun
in·for·mant
in-ˈfȯr-mənt 
: 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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Their use of the informant contributed to a judge’s decision this year to throw two prosecutors off a capital murder case, and is at the center of a push for a new trial in the murder of an eighth-grade girl.
—
Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024
The Spread of Misinformation and Falsehoods Russian Influence Operations: The F.B.I. cut ties to at least a handful of informants and issued warnings about dozens of others after an internal review prompted by concerns that they were linked to Russian disinformation.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 29 May 2024
Defense attorneys have suggested in court papers that these seven cold case homicides were solved because at least one informant came forward, and that it was related to another, unnamed gang prosecution involving Sureños in the Bay Area.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024
Those new grid monitors will supplement the extensive ranks of China’s surveillance workers, which on top of uniformed police and party workers also include as many as 15 million ordinary people recruited as local government informants, according to Professor Pei’s research.
—Vivian Wang, New York Times, 25 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for informant 
Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024
The Spread of Misinformation and Falsehoods Russian Influence Operations: The F.B.I. cut ties to at least a handful of informants and issued warnings about dozens of others after an internal review prompted by concerns that they were linked to Russian disinformation.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 29 May 2024
Defense attorneys have suggested in court papers that these seven cold case homicides were solved because at least one informant came forward, and that it was related to another, unnamed gang prosecution involving Sureños in the Bay Area.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024
Those new grid monitors will supplement the extensive ranks of China’s surveillance workers, which on top of uniformed police and party workers also include as many as 15 million ordinary people recruited as local government informants, according to Professor Pei’s research.
—Vivian Wang, New York Times, 25 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for informant
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Cite this Entry
“Informant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/informant. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
informant
noun
in·for·mant
in-ˈfȯr-mənt
: informer
Legal Definition
informant
noun
in·for·mant
in-ˈfȯr-mənt
: one who informs against another
specifically
: one who makes a practice especially for money of informing police of others' criminal activities
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