inform

¹

[ in-fawrm ]

verb (used with object)

1. to give or impart knowledge of a fact or circumstance to:

   He informed them of his arrival.

   Synonyms: tell, advise, notify, apprise

2. to supply (oneself) with knowledge of a matter or subject:

   She informed herself of all the pertinent facts.

   Synonyms: acquaint

3. to give evident substance, character, or distinction to; pervade or permeate with manifest effect:

   A love of nature informed his writing.

4. to animate or inspire.
5. Obsolete.
   1. to train or instruct.
   2. to make known; disclose.
   3. to give or impart form to.

verb (used without object)

1. to give information; supply knowledge or enlightenment:

   a magazine that entertains more than it informs.

verb phrase

1. to furnish incriminating evidence about (someone) to an authority, prosecuting officer, etc.:

   He informed on his accomplices.

inform

²

[ in-fawrm ]

adjective

, Obsolete.

1. without form; formless.

inform

¹

/ ɪnˈfɔːm; ɪnˈfɔːmɪdlɪ /

verb

1. tr; often foll by of or about to give information to; tell
2. tr; often foll by of or about to make conversant (with)
3. intr; often foll by against or on to give information regarding criminals, as to the police, etc
4. to give form to
5. to impart some essential or formative characteristic to
6. tr to animate or inspire
7. obsolete.
   tr
   1. to train or educate
   2. to report

inform

²

/ ɪnˈfɔːm /

adjective

1. archaic.
   without shape; unformed

Derived Forms

• informedly, adverb
• inˈformable, adjective
• inˈformingly, adverb

Other Words From

• in·forma·ble adjective
• in·forming·ly adverb
• half-in·forming adjective
• half-in·forming·ly adverb
• unin·forming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of inform¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enfo(u)rmen, informen, from Old French enfo(u)rmer, from Latin infōrmāre “to form, shape,” equivalent to in- in- ² + fōrmāre “to form ”

Origin of inform²

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin informis “formless, deformed,” equivalent to in- in- ³ + -formis -form

Word History and Origins

Origin of inform¹

C14: from Latin informāre to give form to, describe, from formāre to form

Origin of inform²

C16: from Latin informis from in- ¹+ forma shape

Example Sentences

He says he wants to improve the science on vaccine safety which he believes has “huge deficits” and that he wants good information so people “can make informed choices“.

From BBC

Firefighters also filed suits alleging that the company failed to inform them about the extent of their exposure to harmful chemicals when responding to the leak.

From Los Angeles Times

She added that after ticking that she had cancer on a form, a spa informed her that she could not have any of the treatments.

From BBC

Ian Blackburn said he was on the phone to a friend at the time when a neighbour informed him of an unexpected visitor at his home.

From BBC

As this happened, I was reporting on plans to allow crime victims to be kept informed about their cases and challenge decisions.

From BBC

Related Words

• advise
• apprise
• brief
• caution
• educate
• instruct
• notify
• tell
• update
• warn