noun
informant
ihn-FAW-muhnt
noun
1
A person who secretly gives confidential information to authorities, such as the police.
"The police relied on an informant inside the gang to make the arrests."
"His identity as an informant was kept secret for his own safety."
2
A native speaker who helps linguists by providing examples and judgments about a language.
"The researcher worked with an informant to record the dying dialect."
How to Use Informant
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who passes on inside information, often secretly.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
police informant
confidential informant
act as an informant
Word Forms
informants plural
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The police relied on an _____ inside the gang to make the arrests.
Etymology
From inform plus the agent-noun suffix -ant.