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
The defendants suggested one of the informants is either someone in current House Speaker Cameron Sexton's office – or is the speaker himself.
—
Rosalind Bowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Encouragingly, this discernment may translate to digital informants like computers too.
—Evan Orticio, Scientific American, 2 June 2025
The series is based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2018 book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, which told the story of the abduction and murder of Jean McConville, a mother of 10 who was wrongly accused by the IRA of being a British Army informant.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 May 2025
The nonprofit’s founder is Edward Clancy, a former political consultant who also served more than a decade ago as an informant for the FBI.
—Jeff McDonald, Mercury News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for informant
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Rosalind Bowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Encouragingly, this discernment may translate to digital informants like computers too.
—Evan Orticio, Scientific American, 2 June 2025
The series is based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2018 book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, which told the story of the abduction and murder of Jean McConville, a mother of 10 who was wrongly accused by the IRA of being a British Army informant.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 May 2025
The nonprofit’s founder is Edward Clancy, a former political consultant who also served more than a decade ago as an informant for the FBI.
—Jeff McDonald, Mercury News, 23 May 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 18 Jul. 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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