inform
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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.
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to train or instruct.
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to make known; disclose.
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to give or impart form to.
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verb (used without object)
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informs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
informed,
past participle, past
-
informing
present participle
verb phrase
adjective
verb
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(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)
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(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
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to impart some essential or formative characteristic to
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(tr) to animate or inspire
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obsolete (tr)
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to train or educate
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to report
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adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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half-informingadjective
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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
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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
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is informingprogressive
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have been informingperfect progressive
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has been informingperfect progressive
Past
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informedsimple
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had informedperfect
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was informingprogressive
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were informingprogressive
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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:
"We can't ban them. They exist, they inform the public, for some people that's convenient," spokesman Yuri Ignat told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
"The sex differences observed in OPA1 responses and obesity susceptibility may help inform the development of obesity treatments that take them into account, as well as future personalized medicine approaches."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
He also is a downtown loft developer and commissioned studies that helped inform a far less expensive option that would run down near the flowing river, rather than up above.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
If you were planning a trip to Japan, we regret to inform you it just got more expensive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
However, we are sorry to inform you that due to funding restrictions, we are unable to continue your financial aid for the 1981—1982 academic year.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
"Even when there is an accident or mechanical fault, the water guard quickly informs the control room and a rescue boat is deployed in record time," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
This partly informs the team’s forecast for Fed policy through 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Similar thinking informs today’s politicians and policymakers who want to expand the welfare state to address economic inequality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
“His insistence on color saturation is something that really informs his work for ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ and it’s really that movie that cements his reputation as one of the masters of scenic art.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
"Rose Johnson is a teacher here," she informs Dr. Williams, as if he doesn't know the school employs Shanti's other grandmother.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
The Lakers informed Leonard’s representatives that those requests violated the NBA collective bargaining agreement and Leonard eventually signed with the Clippers, where he played the past seven seasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
A statement from Buckingham Palace at the time of her birth read: "Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of The Royal Family were delighted to be informed of the news."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Such systems can evaluate multiple inputs at once while making decisions informed by previous experiences and future priorities.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her love of acting informed her innovative choreography, which emphasized character development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Mr. Collins had informed Powers he’d been chosen for a “special mission.”
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Whether the added punctuation has the effect the author imagines, she’s not wrong to point out that editorial decisions, once made, tend “to stick, informing how future readers will interpret a story or character.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Daniels isn’t pleased, informing LSU through his attorney that he “feels profoundly disrespected” and forbidding the school to use his name, image and likeness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
She said they had received a phone call from the victim support team two weeks ago, informing them there was going to be a change to Whiteman's prison conditions.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The media cited Australian foreign ministry letters sent to the families of the two citizens killed, informing them that Laos would charge the operator of the Tiger brand of alcohol with operating illegally.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Hoover, concerned enough to plan on informing the secretary of state, ordered an immediate investigation of Sasaki.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
