inform
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
informs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
informed,
past participle, past
-
informing
present participle
-
to give or impart knowledge of a fact or circumstance to.
He informed them of his arrival.
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to supply (oneself) with knowledge of a matter or subject.
She informed herself of all the pertinent facts.
- Synonyms:
- acquaint
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to give evident substance, character, or distinction to; pervade or permeate with manifest effect.
A love of nature informed his writing.
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to animate or inspire.
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Obsolete.
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to train or instruct.
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to make known; disclose.
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to give or impart form to.
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verb (used without object)
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informs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
informed,
past participle, past
-
informing
present participle
verb phrase
adjective
verb
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(tr; often foll by of or about) to give information to; tell
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(tr; often foll by of or about) to make conversant (with)
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(intr; often foll by against or on) to give information regarding criminals, as to the police, etc
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to give form to
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to impart some essential or formative characteristic to
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(tr) to animate or inspire
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obsolete (tr)
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to train or educate
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to report
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adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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half-informingadjective
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informableadjective
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uninformingadjective
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half-informinglyadverb
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informedlyadverb
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informinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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informsimple
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informssimple
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have informedperfect
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has informedperfect
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am informingprogressive
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are informingprogressive
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is informingprogressive
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have been informingperfect progressive
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has been informingperfect progressive
Past
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informedsimple
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had informedperfect
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was informingprogressive
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were informingprogressive
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had been informingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To inform is to tell someone news, pass on wisdom, leak gossip, or give instruction. You've been informed that you won the raffle at the county fair. What are you going to do with all that cheese? The Latin verb infōrmāre means "to form or shape." The idea of passing on knowledge came about in the 14th Century, with the meaning of "teaching or instructing" coming later. Thomas Jefferson, who believed democracy to be impossible without informed citizens, said, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”
Vocabulary lists containing inform
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Shape Up: Form
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Taking no responsibility at all for helping to inform the public about the origins of this unique catastrophe for public health, for the public fisc, and for private liberty is Dr. Morens’s former boss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Salisbury agreed, adding that axis members are also able to call on the pool of knowledge shared among them; experience fielding weapons in one theater can inform fighting in another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Later, they called back to inform him that, actually, those were gone forever.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
"We can't ban them. They exist, they inform the public, for some people that's convenient," spokesman Yuri Ignat told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
It fell to Gerald Ford to inform the American people that the country had just lost its first war.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Despite the conditions, Painter informs us that Hodgkinson, perhaps motivated by that unexpected defeat, has outperformed all expectations.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
This partly informs the team’s forecast for Fed policy through 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Similar thinking informs today’s politicians and policymakers who want to expand the welfare state to address economic inequality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
“His insistence on color saturation is something that really informs his work for ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ and it’s really that movie that cements his reputation as one of the masters of scenic art.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Perhaps this is because Xander is the one who informs me of my name.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
The Iranian foreign ministry on Monday said it had informed France that the two French diplomats would not be allowed to return to Iran.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Zilinskaite said the company contacted Ben Ashman, from Flylight Airsports, about her limitations, which informed them she was a "talented pilot" but needed assistance getting in and out of the microlight.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
That advisory cited the United Kingdom’s landmark Cass Review, which in 2024 said there was “not a reliable evidence base” for families or doctors to make informed decisions about these medical interventions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The Lakers informed Leonard’s representatives that those requests violated the NBA collective bargaining agreement and Leonard eventually signed with the Clippers, where he played the past seven seasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The one who wasn’t taken because he informed on all the others.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Daniels isn’t pleased, informing LSU through his attorney that he “feels profoundly disrespected” and forbidding the school to use his name, image and likeness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The MSP told BBC Scotland News that he received a letter a few weeks ago informing him that Burns would be leaving prison this week.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The media cited Australian foreign ministry letters sent to the families of the two citizens killed, informing them that Laos would charge the operator of the Tiger brand of alcohol with operating illegally.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
In some cases, relatives flee homes when a family member dies, without informing authorities, leaving highly infectious corpses unattended for days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
I was sorely tempted to end the conversation by informing Sergeant Bickle that his son was a potential lunatic, but I refrained.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
