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.
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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.
-
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:
Among the men surveyed, 76% supported requiring warning labels on dairy products to inform consumers about prostate cancer risk.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
National climate assessments are important because their projections can inform federal infrastructure planning, risk assessments, regulations, disaster preparedness and cost-benefit analyses, including from hazards such as wildfires, floods, drought and sea-level rise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Other merchants, through third-party vendors that verify refund claims, inform individual consumers that their future return claims may be denied based on their patterns of returns, refund requests and frequency of delivery issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
"We feel responsible for starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
It didn’t inform the rest of your brain about its sudden obsession.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
It informs why he thinks he survived being shot five times point-blank: “I believe god saved me,” he said.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
This partly informs the team’s forecast for Fed policy through 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield, the GP explained while the tests cannot offer "an absolute diagnosis", they could provide an indication that informs next steps.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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
“If a driver asks for directions, you demand to see their identity card,” Nigel informs me.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The individual's family has been informed and has "requested a period of grace before further details are released", the MoD's statement said.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
The city’s management was informed in 2021 that the prison was scheduled for closure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Aiello informed Weil’s leadership he was leaving this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Suzanne, who worked in finance, had to return to work shortly after so for two and a half years Louise helped with the cooking, cleaning and homework and kept Bob's family informed about the children.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“They don't always follow the rules,” Jason informed her.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
“If they were serious about informing people about how to save lives, they would put the Heimlich maneuver on top of their website.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 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
She said she had received an email informing her that her flight had been cancelled, but had been unable to get further information from the airline despite trying to contact it.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Aesthetically, I now led with a decision of who I was, the cut informing every first impression.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ernest called MIT’s bluff, informing Evans that he was welcome to hire experienced cyclotroneers from Berkeley to do the job, but warning that the good ones would demand at least an assistant professorship to move.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
