stool pigeon

noun

Definition of stool pigeonnext
as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing the FBI finally got a break when one of the mob boss's top henchmen turned stool pigeon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of stool pigeon Once an unconscious stool pigeon, always an unconscious stool pigeon. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 12 Nov. 2025 Russo turned stool pigeon within a month of his November 2017 arrest for selling a kilo of cocaine to an undercover agent. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2025 They are barred from using certain language during debates including git, guttersnipe, swine and stool pigeon. — Max Colchester, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stool pigeon
  1. informant
  2. informer
  3. canary
  4. rat
  5. reporter
Noun
  • The informant told police that’s where the hitman was handed an envelope of cash.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The task force is reportedly staffing up with officers who specialize in recruiting informants, intelligence analysis, cyber operations and covert influence campaigns.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of informant
Noun
  • One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
    — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of informer
Noun
  • Kevin Tubbs grew up in a comfortable suburb outside Omaha, Nebraska, in a canary-yellow ranch house filled with dogs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • Carolina Jessamine This vine with sweet-scented, canary-yellow flowers in the spring is native to the southern United States.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 9 July 2026
Definition of canary
Noun
  • After bedbugs, roaches, and rat infestations, murky tap water is among the most off-putting experiences in New York City apartment living.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors tied that comment to another one, also with a rat emoji, from months earlier, posted by an Instagram account that used the photo of a dead GMB member.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of rat
Noun
  • And for broadcast leaders, please keep investing in reporters and tools to serve the traveling public.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The political reporter, who has worked in news settings since high school, says he’s seen the industry evolve and struggle to preserve relevancy in some ways.
    — Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of reporter

Browse Nearby Words

stoolies
stool pigeon
stool pigeons
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stool pigeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stool%20pigeon. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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