confidential informant

American  

[kon-fi-den-shuhl in-fawr-muhnt] / ˌkɒn fɪˈdɛn ʃəl ɪnˈfɔr mənt /

noun

1. a person who works undercover for law enforcement to gather information about felonious criminal activities: some confidential informants are criminals themselves, hired to work undercover in exchange for leniency or exoneration: CI

   We’re told that this elusive drug lord was finally taken down thanks largely to a confidential informant, whose identity remains fiercely protected.

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Etymology

Origin of confidential informant

First recorded in 1940–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confidential informant

In September 2024, Detective Donald Paul, an officer with the State College Police Department, recruited a confidential informant to make multiple controlled purchases from Robinson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Months later, when the FBI tracked down a copy of the paperwork used to justify the search, investigators discovered that Deputy 1 had based it on information from an unnamed confidential informant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2024

Unlike a gang case, where the defendants figuring out the name of the confidential informant before trial would be significant, in this case, witnesses have already publicly agreed to testify in exchange for lenient treatment.

From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2023

He also said he had gone to the FBI while still working for Santos, with the intention of possibly working as a confidential informant for law enforcement.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023

"Just who is this confidential informant, anyway, Ole?"

From By Proxy by H. R. van Dongen

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