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
Relevance
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
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
Noun
-
Maria is under police protection as a confidential informant, according to the Mexican officer.—
Kevin Maurer,
Rolling Stone,
13 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
Noun
-
Frizer and Skeres were fraudsters, and the sinister Poley was an informer, crucial to the exposure of the Babington Plot.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Option 2: If one prisoner informs while the other stays silent, the informer will go free while the silent one receives the harshest sentence.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
There is also growing concern within the House Republican caucus that Greene’s announcement is a canary in the coal mine and that multiple resignations will follow.—
Charlie Hunt,
The Conversation,
26 Dec. 2025
-
So is the Broomfield condo market the canary in the coal mine for the larger metro Denver housing market, a signal that the oxygen is gone and that home prices could fall across the region next year?—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The animals play a vital role in the ecosystem as their diet consists of small rodents such as mice, rats and squirrels.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Or, more accurately, in this case, rats.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
News of Short’s death spread quickly, and before authorities could cordon off the crime scene, reporters swarmed the area.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
O’Hara told reporters Minneapolis police had secured the scene and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) are processing evidence.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stool pigeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stool%20pigeon. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
