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

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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 country has watched the FBI treat one presidential campaign with kid gloves the other with informants, warrants and eavesdropping. — Fox News, "Mueller investigation criticized as being 'one-sided'," 24 Aug. 2018 The country has watched the FBI treat one presidential campaign with kid gloves, the other with informants, warrants and eavesdropping. — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, "When Justice Is Partial," 23 Aug. 2018 The reports detail rampant wiretapping, fabrication of evidence, media agenda setting, infiltration via informants, and even assassination, like that of Fred Hampton. — Kim Reynolds, Teen Vogue, "How White People Have Reacted to Black Success Over Time in the United States," 30 July 2018 The Democrat admitted to taking $15,300 from the FBI informant, who posed as a fictional out-of-town developer, and helping him defraud the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. — Nicholas Bogel-burroughs, baltimoresun.com, "Prosecutors ask judge to sentence former Maryland Sen. Nathaniel Oaks to 5 years in prison," 12 July 2018 The leader of a pro-government militia charged with developing informants inside Baba Amr, Khaled al-Fares, received a black Hyundai Genesis. — Anne Barnard, New York Times, "Syrian Forces Aimed to Kill Journalists, U.S. Court Is Told," 9 Apr. 2018 Illinois is giving jailhouse-informant testimony more scrutiny. — Jacob Gershman, WSJ, "New for 2019: Laws on Guns, Harassment, Cannabis-Spiked Drinks," 2 Jan. 2019 Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence former state Sen. Nathaniel T. Oaks to five years in prison for taking money from an undercover FBI informant and agreeing to help him defraud a federal housing agency. — Nicholas Bogel-burroughs, baltimoresun.com, "Prosecutors ask judge to sentence former Maryland Sen. Nathaniel Oaks to 5 years in prison," 12 July 2018 So far, claims of an informant within Trump’s campaign have not been substantiated, but that didn’t stop Trump and Rudy Giuliani, from spreading the claim Thursday morning. — Rob Tornoe, Philly.com, "Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump hits one-year mark with slew of new details," 17 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.