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

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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 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 Haleigh’s family believes she was murdered because her secret life as an informant was somehow exposed. — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2026 The highest-profile prosecution focuses on the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is accused of misleading donors and banks by funneling money to informants for white supremacist groups. — Gabe Kaminsky, CBS News, 18 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about informant

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