informant

noun

in·for·mant | \ in-ˈfȯr-mənt

Definition of informant

: 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 Example Sentences Learn More about informant

Keep scrolling for more

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

Another director on stage from Yann Demange, known for his IRA thriller '71 but now behind the wheels of White Boy Rick, starring Matthew McConaughey and about the youngest ever informant for the FBI. — Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, "CineEurope: Sony Previews 'Venom,' 'Frontrunner' and Tarantino's Manson Thriller," 11 June 2018 Both Ryan and House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy attended a classified briefing last month following reports that the FBI used an informant in its Russian meddling probe. — Mary Clare Jalonick, chicagotribune.com, "Contradicting Trump, Paul Ryan agrees there is no evidence of campaign spy," 6 June 2018 That officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, had been arrested at Kennedy International Airport in New York in January, capping an intense F.B.I. mole hunt that began around 2012, after the C.I.A. began losing its informants in China. — Mike Ives, New York Times, "U.S. Army Veteran Tried to Spy for China, Officials Say," 5 June 2018 That officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, had been arrested at Kennedy International Airport in New York in January, capping an intense FBI mole hunt that began around 2012, after the CIA began losing its informants in China. — Mike Ives, BostonGlobe.com, "US Army veteran tried to spy for China, officials say," 5 June 2018 If the point of his interactions with Archie (who becomes an FBI informant in a heartbeat) was purely for humor, props to Riverdale. — Peggy Truong, Cosmopolitan, "9 Reasons Riverdale Season 2 Has Been Bad," 7 Mar. 2018 Kang watched the videos for four to five hours each day during the week and more on the weekends, the informant told agents in 2016. — Fox News, "US soldier pleads guilty to trying to help ISIS," 29 Aug. 2018 A month later, when summoned for questioning by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Morrison confessed and became an informant for the agency, an arrangement the Air Force said yielded legally admissible evidence against 10 other airmen. — NBC News, "Security troops on U.S. nuclear missile base took LSD, records show," 24 May 2018 Following Trump’s public, but as yet unproven, accusations in recent days that an FBI informant had been embedded in his campaign for political purposes, the scope of the investigation will be widened to address these allegations. — Natasha Bach, Fortune, "Trump Demanded a Probe of Possible Campaign 'Infiltration.' The Justice Department Responded—Carefully," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'informant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.