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inform

1
[ in-fawrm ]
/ ɪnˈfɔrm /
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See synonyms for: inform / informed / informing / informs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to give information; supply knowledge or enlightenment: a magazine that entertains more than it informs.
Verb Phrases
inform on, to furnish incriminating evidence about (someone) to an authority, prosecuting officer, etc.: He informed on his accomplices.
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Origin of inform

1
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

OTHER WORDS FROM inform

Other definitions for inform (2 of 2)

inform2
[ in-fawrm ]
/ ɪnˈfɔrm /

adjective Obsolete.
without form; formless.

Origin of inform

2
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin informis “formless, deformed,” equivalent to in- in-3 + -formis -form
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inform in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inform (1 of 2)

inform1
/ (ɪnˈfɔːm) /

verb

Derived forms of inform

informable, adjectiveinformedly (ɪnˈfɔːmɪdlɪ), adverbinformingly, adverb

Word Origin for inform

C14: from Latin informāre to give form to, describe, from formāre to form

British Dictionary definitions for inform (2 of 2)

inform2
/ (ɪnˈfɔːm) /

adjective
archaic without shape; unformed

Word Origin for inform

C16: from Latin informis from in- 1 + forma shape
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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