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

Synonyms of informant

• informer

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

Here's everything to know about her life after becoming an FBI informant and helping to expose Samuel Bateman's crimes. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026

Quilty’s arrest comes after former New Haven police Chief Karl Jacobson was arrested by state police in February and accused of embezzling funds from an account police use to pay confidential informants in narcotics investigations. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026

Arches mark the entrance to the residential complex identified by the informant. —ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

Documents also revealed that some of the witnesses were FBI informants—information kept from New York police. —Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for informant

• dormant
• formant

Kids 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