notify

verb

no·​ti·​fy ˈnō-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying

transitive verb

1
: to give formal notice to
notify a family of the death of a relation
She notified the police about the accident.
2
: to give notice of or report the occurrence of
He notified his intention to sue.
She notified my arrival to the governor.
3
obsolete : to point out
notifier noun
Choose the Right Synonym for notify

inform, acquaint, apprise, notify mean to make one aware of something.

inform implies the imparting of knowledge especially of facts or occurrences.

informed us of the crisis

acquaint lays stress on introducing to or familiarizing with.

acquaint yourself with the keyboard

apprise implies communicating something of special interest or importance.

keep us apprised of the situation

notify implies sending notice of something requiring attention or demanding action.

notified the witness when to appear

Examples of notify in a Sentence

Customers were notified of the changes in the company. I was notified that I did not get the job.
Recent Examples on the Web The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office will release his identity after it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024 Las Vegas authorities were notified and began their own investigation of Chasing Horse which resulted in Vegas investigators becoming aware of Leone-LaCroix's allegations and raiding Chasing Horse's home in early 2023. Sean Keane, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2024 Digital Risk If there’s any suspicion of risk, notify the CTO immediately. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 The Williams Police Department is withholding the man’s identity until his family and next of kin have been notified. Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for notify 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'notify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English notifien, from Anglo-French notifier to make known, from Late Latin notificare, from Latin notus known

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of notify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near notify

Cite this Entry

“Notify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notify. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

notify

verb
no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
: to give notice to : inform
notify the police
notifier noun

Medical Definition

notify

transitive verb
no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
1
British : to report the occurrence of (a case of communicable disease) or the occurrence of communicable disease in (an individual)
all cases of disease should be notified by the treating consultantPractitioner
2
: to give formal notice to
the Broward County Public Health Unit … was notified of three children … hospitalized with encephalitis attributed to cat scratch diseaseThe Journal of the American Medical Association
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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