informant

noun

in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
: a person who gives information: such as
a
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He had been suspended for flouting weight regulations, stripped of his informants and demoted to monitoring wiretaps. Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025 His lawyers and family deny any gang connections and say the allegations are largely based on information from a 2019 informant. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025 Former confidential informant Kevin Maher is finally dishing on his involvement in one of the most iconic moments in reality television history: The Real Housewives of New Jersey's infamous season 1 table flip. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2025 In the intervening years, other evidence surfaced, including an informant who implicated Ferguson in 1997 and again in 2016. Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for informant

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of informant was in 1641

Cite this Entry

“Informant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/informant. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

informant

noun
in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)

Legal Definition

informant

noun
in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
: one who informs against another
specifically : one who makes a practice especially for money of informing police of others' criminal activities

More from Merriam-Webster on informant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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