notify

verb

no·​ti·​fy ˈnō-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying

transitive verb

1
: to give formal notice to
notify a family of the death of a relation
She notified the police about the accident.
2
: to give notice of or report the occurrence of
He notified his intention to sue.
She notified my arrival to the governor.
3
obsolete : to point out
notifier noun
Choose the Right Synonym for notify

inform, acquaint, apprise, notify mean to make one aware of something.

inform implies the imparting of knowledge especially of facts or occurrences.

informed us of the crisis

acquaint lays stress on introducing to or familiarizing with.

acquaint yourself with the keyboard

apprise implies communicating something of special interest or importance.

keep us apprised of the situation

notify implies sending notice of something requiring attention or demanding action.

notified the witness when to appear

Examples of notify in a Sentence

Customers were notified of the changes in the company. I was notified that I did not get the job.
Recent Examples on the Web The teen's family has been notified, the statement said. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2024 Both Olathe South High School and Indian Trail Middle School were notified by principals around 3 p.m. that the schools had been placed in a restricted instruction status. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Travel & Experiences SoCal’s forgotten hot springs oasis is finally reopening — with 50 geothermal pools Jan. 17, 2024 In March 2020, the Hot Springs Angels notified Forest Service staff that some of the tubs had sustained damage. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 As for the anti-inflammatory drug, PETA insisted its insider never missed a dose he’d been assigned to provide and even at one point notified an AFA supervisor that the medication had run out. Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Nearly two weeks after initially setting up the fundraiser and then providing GoFundMe with more information, Zoe was notified the freeze was lifted. Mia Sato, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024 Rocha is charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires those working under the control of a foreign government to notify the U.S. Attorney General’s office. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The tow truck company ran the car's information, learned it was reported stolen and notified the police. Kunle Falayi, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 In addition, there were no public meetings notifying anyone of the construction, and an application for a development permit wasn’t submitted until after construction began. Dánica Coto, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English notifien, from Anglo-French notifier to make known, from Late Latin notificare, from Latin notus known

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of notify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near notify

Cite this Entry

“Notify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notify. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

notify

verb
no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
: to give notice to : inform
notify the police
notifier noun

Medical Definition

notify

transitive verb
no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
1
British : to report the occurrence of (a case of communicable disease) or the occurrence of communicable disease in (an individual)
all cases of disease should be notified by the treating consultantPractitioner
2
: to give formal notice to
the Broward County Public Health Unit … was notified of three children … hospitalized with encephalitis attributed to cat scratch diseaseJournal of the American Medical Association
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!