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
New investigators learned that his role as a police drug informant may have shielded him from further scrutiny.
—
Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, the Proud Boys fractured in 2021, after Reuters uncovered court records indicating that Tarrio had served as an informant to local and federal law enforcement before the group was founded.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
In the book, author Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the murder of Jean McConville, who was abducted from her Belfast apartment by Irish Republicans in 1972 and killed after facing accusations of being an informant for the British Army.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2025
Doyle is charged with selling 13 guns to undercover informants over about two months, including several in the days after the attack.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for informant
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Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, the Proud Boys fractured in 2021, after Reuters uncovered court records indicating that Tarrio had served as an informant to local and federal law enforcement before the group was founded.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
In the book, author Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the murder of Jean McConville, who was abducted from her Belfast apartment by Irish Republicans in 1972 and killed after facing accusations of being an informant for the British Army.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2025
Doyle is charged with selling 13 guns to undercover informants over about two months, including several in the days after the attack.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 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 28 Aug. 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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