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 of informant

• informer

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

The devices were hidden in a pack of cigarettes, the informant’s watch, and a cellphone. — Keith O’Brien, New Yorker, 25 June 2026

An informant for the FBI quickly identified members of the Ku Klux Klan as her killers. — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Babeuf was betrayed by an informant, put on trial in 1797, and eventually acquitted of conspiracy, but he was executed for committing his ideas about inequality to print. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

However, some members of the Hole in the Wall Gang got busted in 1981 for stealing from a home furnishings store, and Cullotta — one of those busted — became an informant. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for informant

• dormant
• formant

Kids 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