info
Americannoun
noun
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of info
First recorded in 1910–15; by final shortening
Explanation
Info is a fact — or many facts — about a person or a thing. When you ask for more info about a city you're visiting, you might want to know about its history, its public transportation, or its best restaurants. Info is an informal, shortened form of information. You can get info by doing research at the library, searching online, or simply asking questions. To find out some basic info about a dance class, you could ask the teacher, for example. This casual, common word was coined at the very start of the 20th century, from information, from the Latin root informationem, "outline or idea."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If you want to preserve the homely, mom-and-pop feeling of picking out your own merchandise and contemplating the value of a dollar before you enter your credit card info, Amazon is there for you.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
An info line would tell people to meet at a “map point,” often a gas station parking lot, where a party crew member stood as a lookout, ready to guide the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who received the whistleblower disclosure, asked the postmaster general for detailed info about the plan in a letter this week.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026
Blandin’s read is that “there’s some aspect of a task that requires some information retrieval — and AI is really good at info retrieval.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
“I talked to his social worker last week. My parents helped me track down her info, and she said that we could email him.”
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
