informant

noun

in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
: a person who gives information: such as
a
b
: one who supplies cultural or linguistic data in response to interrogation by an investigator

Examples of informant in a Sentence

The police were alerted to the plot by a paid informant. We learned the language with the help of a native informant.
Recent Examples on the Web Republicans grapple with fallout from key source indictment Democrats are almost sure to bring up the indictment of Alexander Smirnov, an FBI informant who was recently indicted for allegedly lying about Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma, a Ukrainian energy firm. USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 Hunter Biden: Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant charged with lying about Biden and his son Hunter Biden, has been arrested for a second time. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024 Beyond the internal struggle, a central claim of the GOP investigation has also been undermined by federal prosecutors, who last week indicted an FBI informant who claimed there was a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the president, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 22 Feb. 2024 Topline Alexander Smirnov, the FBI informant arrested and charged last week for lying to the agency, is the source of an explosive bribery allegation against President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden that unraveled over the past week—and may doom the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into Biden. Sara Dorn, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 The GOP investigation was undercut again last week when an FBI informant who claimed there was a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the president, his son Hunter, and a Ukrainian energy company was charged with fabricating the story. CBS News, 21 Feb. 2024 Continue reading … ‘HIGHLY CREDIBLE’ – FBI informant charged with giving false information about Hunter Biden in 2020. Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024 The Trump administration, however, argued Assange risked the lives of sources and informants by publishing national defense documents and impeded national security efforts abroad. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Last week, special counsel David Weiss charged a former FBI informant with lying about the president and his son Hunter Biden’s involvement in business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings — undercutting a major aspect of House Republicans’ case for impeachment. Andrew Torgan, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'informant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of informant was in 1641

Dictionary Entries Near informant

Cite this Entry

“Informant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/informant. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

informant

noun
in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)

Legal Definition

informant

noun
in·​for·​mant in-ˈfȯr-mənt How to pronounce informant (audio)
: one who informs against another
specifically : one who makes a practice especially for money of informing police of others' criminal activities

More from Merriam-Webster on informant

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