informant

noun

in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
Definition of informantnext
as in informer
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing the FBI is working closely with informants to find out about the subversive group

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of informant Jessica Bowie, 35, is facing federal charges for allegedly attempting to provide material support to the terrorist group ISIS after a confidential informant told the FBI that Bowie had reached out for help making explosives. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026 The informants allegedly met with Bowie on Wednesday and provided her with an inert explosive device and an inert handgun along with instructions on how to detonate the explosive, the complaint said. — Jack Date, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 Agents make the arrest On Wednesday, Bowie met up with two informants in a car and paid $150 for a firearm (that was inert), ammunition and one magazine, the complaint alleges. — Lila Dominus, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors allege that the SPLC secretly paid members of those groups to act as confidential informants without telling donors. — Art Jipson, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for informant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for informant
informer
Noun
  • One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
    — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of informer

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informally
informant
informants
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Cite this Entry

“Informant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/informant. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about informant

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