as in informers
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the FBI is working closely with informants to find out about the subversive group
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Recent Examples of informants
White newspaper editors were routinely imprisoned or forced to become police informants.
—
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
But the conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered because prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that a group of jailhouse informants was illegally used to garner incriminating statements by Smith.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
Each step—from the deployment of informants to the final interception—demonstrates how precise planning, courage, and trust among officers had been essential in dismantling a sophisticated criminal network at one of the world’s busiest airports.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The only ones awaiting sentence are those who became government informants and testified against former colleagues in law enforcement.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Jacobsen, who was appointed chief in 2022, is suspected of stealing money from a department fund that was created to pay confidential informants.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 29 Dec. 2025
The letter asks for an accounting of how many MS-13 gang members were sent to El Salvador under the arrangement, including whether any other informants were sent back to the Central American country beyond the nine already reported.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 23 Dec. 2025
His administration also returned key MS-13 drug gang informants to El Salvador.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 15 Dec. 2025
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
But the conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered because prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that a group of jailhouse informants was illegally used to garner incriminating statements by Smith.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
Each step—from the deployment of informants to the final interception—demonstrates how precise planning, courage, and trust among officers had been essential in dismantling a sophisticated criminal network at one of the world’s busiest airports.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The only ones awaiting sentence are those who became government informants and testified against former colleagues in law enforcement.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Jacobsen, who was appointed chief in 2022, is suspected of stealing money from a department fund that was created to pay confidential informants.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 29 Dec. 2025
The letter asks for an accounting of how many MS-13 gang members were sent to El Salvador under the arrangement, including whether any other informants were sent back to the Central American country beyond the nine already reported.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 23 Dec. 2025
His administration also returned key MS-13 drug gang informants to El Salvador.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for informants
informers
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
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Security services also rely on informers to tell them who might be using Starlink, and search internet and social media traffic for signs it has been used.—
David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Informants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/informants. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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