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

In order to become an informant for the authorities, Silva had to confess his entire criminal history, La Presse reported.

From BBC

A Delaware court judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News filed by a Jan. 6 rioter who said the network falsely identified him as an FBI informant.

From Los Angeles Times

An informant told a different story, according to a police report: Macias had brought his own band to the festival, which Escobedo considered “disrespectful.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

It is not known how many health care workers were among informants in these cases, but the HWW report documents first-hand accounts of similar methods of torture.

From Salon