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
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
Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the company’s cameras and accompanying Neighbors app have heightened the risk of racial profiling and turned residents into informants, with few guardrails around how law enforcement can use the material.
—
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
However, a jailhouse informant told a DA investigator in a recorded interview that Neary bragged in jail about stabbing Miner.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
After planting the seeds of a murder-for-hire plot, Kimball reported to the FBI that Ennis was planning to have witnesses killed, and shortly thereafter, was granted confidential informant status.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
The animosity between the two boiled over when suspicions grew among the Joneses that Brandon was Marty Baker’s secret informant, after a Skeet associate spotted Brandon and Baker having lunch together in Mentone.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for informant
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Annie Palmer, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
However, a jailhouse informant told a DA investigator in a recorded interview that Neary bragged in jail about stabbing Miner.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
After planting the seeds of a murder-for-hire plot, Kimball reported to the FBI that Ennis was planning to have witnesses killed, and shortly thereafter, was granted confidential informant status.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
The animosity between the two boiled over when suspicions grew among the Joneses that Brandon was Marty Baker’s secret informant, after a Skeet associate spotted Brandon and Baker having lunch together in Mentone.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for informant
Cite this Entry
“Informant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/informant. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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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