inform

¹

[in-fawrm]

verb (used with object)

1. to give or impart knowledge of a fact or circumstance to.

   He informed them of his arrival.

   Synonyms: tell, advise, notify, apprise

2. to supply (oneself) with knowledge of a matter or subject.

   She informed herself of all the pertinent facts.

   Synonyms: acquaint

3. to give evident substance, character, or distinction to; pervade or permeate with manifest effect.

   A love of nature informed his writing.

4. to animate or inspire.

5. Obsolete.

   1. to train or instruct.

   2. to make known; disclose.

   3. to give or impart form to.

verb (used without object)

1. to give information; supply knowledge or enlightenment.

   a magazine that entertains more than it informs.

verb phrase

1. inform on,  to furnish incriminating evidence about (someone) to an authority, prosecuting officer, etc..

   He informed on his accomplices.

inform

²

[in-fawrm]

adjective

Obsolete.

1. without form; formless.

inform

¹

/ ɪnˈfɔːm, ɪnˈfɔːmɪdlɪ /

verb

1. (tr; often foll by of or about) to give information to; tell

2. (tr; often foll by of or about) to make conversant (with)

3. (intr; often foll by against or on) to give information regarding criminals, as to the police, etc

4. to give form to

5. to impart some essential or formative characteristic to

6. (tr) to animate or inspire

7. obsolete,  (tr)

   1. to train or educate

   2. to report

inform

²

/ ɪnˈfɔːm /

adjective

1. archaic,  without shape; unformed

Other Word Forms

• informable adjective
• informingly adverb
• half-informing adjective
• half-informingly adverb
• uninforming adjective
• informedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of inform¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enfo(u)rmen, informen, from Old French enfo(u)rmer, from Latin infōrmāre “to form, shape,” equivalent to in- in- ² + fōrmāre “to form ”

Origin of inform²

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin informis “formless, deformed,” equivalent to in- in- ³ + -formis -form

Word History and Origins

Origin of inform¹

C14: from Latin informāre to give form to, describe, from formāre to _form

Origin of inform²

C16: from Latin informis from _in- ¹ + forma shape

Example Sentences

The force said it was informed by the prison services about "an error" at 12:57 on Friday.

Read more on BBC

"We believe that storytelling can do more than entertain, it can inform, inspire and drive awareness on issues that matter," JioStar's Sumanta Bose said.

Read more on BBC

Instead of cutting the cash Isa tax-free limit, "the focus should be on improving financial literacy ... so that people can make informed decisions with their savings", the committee said.

Read more on BBC

Senior Navy officials see alignment between their own goals and the president’s interests, said Clark, who is involved in Navy wargames meant to inform the Golden Fleet.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

We can trigger you, anger you and perhaps influence you to purchase certain goods, but we have a real hard time accurately informing you about anything.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• advise 
• apprise 
• brief 
• caution 
• educate 
• instruct 
• notify 
• tell 
• update 
• warn