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
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.
Iran had notified Qatar in advance of the strike. Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 Rainey, the People Not Politicians spokesperson, said the group would initiate the referendum process Friday by notifying the Secretary of State’s office of its intent to collect signatures. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025 The incident occurred in the afternoon, when a parent notified staff of a person wearing a backpack near the front of the school. Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025 Individuals were notified that their personal information was shared with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights last week, university spokesperson Janet Gilmore confirmed in a statement. Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for notify

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Notify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notify. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on notify

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