informant
Americannoun
-
a person who informs or gives information; informer.
-
a person who supplies social or cultural data in answer to the questions of an investigator.
-
Linguistics. a native speaker of a language who supplies utterances and forms for one analyzing or learning the language.
noun
Etymology
Origin of informant
1655–65; < Latin infōrmant- (stem of infōrmāns ) present participle of infōrmāre. See inform 1, -ant
Explanation
An informant is someone who secretly provides information to police, the FBI, or another law enforcement agency. If you watch a lot of crime shows on TV, you're probably familiar with informants. In the world of law enforcement, informants are officially called CIs, for "confidential informant" or "criminal informant." The information informants provide can be useful in catching criminals, and the informant usually gets something in return — money or a reduced prison sentence, for example. Sometimes informant simply means "person who gives information."
Vocabulary lists containing informant
Because They Marched
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Macbeth Murder Mystery" by James Thurber
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 8: Vocabulary from Readings
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Accompanied by an alleged informant, Magane said they asked an employee to open the container so they could "verify the information".
From BBC • May 30, 2026
Senate, Johnson described himself as a federal informant.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
Columnist Clarence Page writes that “a key question will be whether prosecutors can distinguish SPLC’s informant practices from those long used by law enforcement.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Only recently has Tennessee acknowledged that it used a paid informant.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
He met the informant through a close family friend, someone he trusted.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
