informant

[ in-fawr-muhnt ]

noun

1. a person who informs inform or gives information; informer.

   Synonyms: tipster, adviser, source

2. a person who supplies social or cultural data in answer to the questions of an investigator.
3. Linguistics. a native speaker of a language who supplies utterances and forms for one analyzing or learning the language.

informant

/ ɪnˈfɔːmənt /

noun

1. a person who gives information about a thing, a subject being studied, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of informant¹

1655–65; < Latin infōrmant- (stem of infōrmāns ) present participle of infōrmāre. See inform ¹, -ant

Example Sentences

Since “Say Nothing” primarily unfolds through Dolours’ perception, the question of whether McConville is an informant hangs over these nine episodes.

From Salon

Then Rocha became an informant for the ATF.

From Los Angeles Times

A confidential informant claims that Moyano is linked to several robberies in other states and he is the leader of the group, referred to by the FBI as the South American Theft Group, according to court records.

From Los Angeles Times

As part of the inquiry, he began leaving food for an inmate informant to give to the suspected killer in order to win his trust.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2014, he was elected Los Angeles County sheriff, following soon after Lee Baca, the longtime sheriff who retired under a cloud of scandals that included the federal indictment of sheriff’s officials for allegations ranging from assaulting jail inmates to hiding a jailhouse informant from the FBI.

From Los Angeles Times