inform
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
informs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
informed,
past participle, past
-
informing
present participle
-
to give or impart knowledge of a fact or circumstance to.
He informed them of his arrival.
-
to supply (oneself) with knowledge of a matter or subject.
She informed herself of all the pertinent facts.
- Synonyms:
- acquaint
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to give evident substance, character, or distinction to; pervade or permeate with manifest effect.
A love of nature informed his writing.
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to animate or inspire.
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Obsolete.
-
to train or instruct.
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to make known; disclose.
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to give or impart form to.
-
verb (used without object)
-
informs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
informed,
past participle, past
-
informing
present participle
verb phrase
adjective
verb
-
(tr; often foll by of or about) to give information to; tell
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(tr; often foll by of or about) to make conversant (with)
-
(intr; often foll by against or on) to give information regarding criminals, as to the police, etc
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to give form to
-
to impart some essential or formative characteristic to
-
(tr) to animate or inspire
-
obsolete (tr)
-
to train or educate
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to report
-
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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half-informingadjective
-
informableadjective
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uninformingadjective
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half-informinglyadverb
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informedlyadverb
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informinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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informsimple
-
informssimple
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have informedperfect
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has informedperfect
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am informingprogressive
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are informingprogressive
-
is informingprogressive
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have been informingperfect progressive
-
has been informingperfect progressive
Past
-
informedsimple
-
had informedperfect
-
was informingprogressive
-
were informingprogressive
-
had been informingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To inform is to tell someone news, pass on wisdom, leak gossip, or give instruction. You've been informed that you won the raffle at the county fair. What are you going to do with all that cheese? The Latin verb infōrmāre means "to form or shape." The idea of passing on knowledge came about in the 14th Century, with the meaning of "teaching or instructing" coming later. Thomas Jefferson, who believed democracy to be impossible without informed citizens, said, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”
Vocabulary lists containing inform
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Shape Up: Form
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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.
See Examples For:
"I think it's important to inform your cleft team because it may impact any further treatment that you might need," he said.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
"Our findings suggest that the microbiome may reflect important aspects of biological resilience and aging in ways that could eventually help inform future wellness and healthy aging strategies."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
The chef’s influence will extend beyond the communal dining areas and into the residences themselves, with his vision helping inform the design of the in-home kitchens.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
It was “a good balance to inform defenders,” Dusch said, “and not give attackers too much time to develop exploits.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
As a result, judges are not required to inform criminal defendants of some of the most important rights they are forfeiting when they plead guilty to a felony.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
All of this informs the zombie’s continued proliferation across popular culture, in films like “World War Z” and shows such as “The Last of Us” and “The Walking Dead.”
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
The statement doesn’t amount to an endorsement, a spokesperson for Caruso said, but instead simply informs people for whom Caruso planned to vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
A full diagnostic panel informs every guest’s customized itinerary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"We will ensure the learning from the coroner's findings informs our continuing work to strengthen patient safety and care," says Dr Bridle.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Nope. It’s different in person,” she informs me.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“I try to have an authentic voice compositionally, and that voice is very much informed by those three in particular.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Not only do we carry the horrors of the universe in our pockets, we spend most of our waking hours gazing into that abyss in the name of staying informed.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
In the US, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, external advises people to assemble an emergency kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed about how to respond to different incidents.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Her mother’s sense of civic responsibility informed her own activism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
I maintained my private domain by welcoming the strays whenever my mom informed me of a new one.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Horton said he is focused on informing fans and mastering the fundamentals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"I am grateful to them for informing me," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
The findings suggest that studying the genetics of personality could have implications well beyond psychology, potentially informing research in medicine, health, education and the workplace.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
Instead, we cut to rehearsals for the comeback tour, with a caption informing us the brothers "didn't speak for 15 years", and an implication that all the wounds have been miraculously healed.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
I was sorely tempted to end the conversation by informing Sergeant Bickle that his son was a potential lunatic, but I refrained.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
