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.
The Social Security Administration maintains info about the reasons behind a nonwork number, but this information isn’t routinely shared with the IRS.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
All that info is compiled and compared to other viewer profiles to spawn a complete accounting of you-as-TV-watcher.
From Slate • May 3, 2026
Meanwhile, your phone continuously senses and records your communications, info about your health, what apps you’re using, and tracks your location via cell towers, GPS satellites and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
And, as we tend to book in advance, the ONS collected the info on fares in February, so there was no impact from the war.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
At the same time, I tap my fingers subtly against my leg and start downloading info on both him and Max.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
