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inform

verb
in·​form | \ in-ˈfȯrm How to pronounce inform (audio) \
informed; informing; informs

Definition of inform

transitive verb

1 : to communicate knowledge to inform a prisoner of his rights
2a : to give character or essence to the principles which inform modern teaching
b : to be the characteristic quality of : animate the compassion that informs her work
3 obsolete : to give material form to
4 obsolete : guide, direct
5 obsolete : to make known

intransitive verb

1 : to give information (as of another's wrongdoing) to an authority informed on a member of his own gang
2 : to impart information or knowledge
Other Words from inform Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about inform

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Synonyms for inform

Synonyms

fink, grass (on) [British slang], rat (on), sing, snitch, split (on) [British], squeak, squeal, talk, tell (on)

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Choose the Right Synonym for inform

inform, acquaint, apprise, notify mean to make one aware of something. inform implies the imparting of knowledge especially of facts or occurrences. informed us of the crisis acquaint lays stress on introducing to or familiarizing with. acquaint yourself with the keyboard apprise implies communicating something of special interest or importance. keep us apprised of the situation notify implies sending notice of something requiring attention or demanding action. notified the witness when to appear

Examples of inform in a Sentence

The book will entertain and inform you. The arresting officer failed to inform the suspect of his rights. He failed to inform the suspect that he had the right to remain silent. We haven't yet been informed of her decision. Frequent reports from the battlefield kept the general informed about how the attack was progressing. The book will both entertain and inform. His Catholic upbringing informs all his writing.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 How are changes in Orange County informing the arts? — Sherry Stern, Orange County Register, "Behind the Curtain: Emerging leaders in OC arts and culture," 10 Sep. 2019 But outsiders had already begun to gather the data in the interests of informing the public. — Lynne Peeples, Scientific American, "What the Data Say about Police Shootings," 5 Sep. 2019 Privately, some informed figures in Beijing play down the idea that October 1st is a deadline for ending the impasse, murmuring that Hong Kong, a tiny place of 7m people, cannot overshadow celebrations by a motherland of 1.4bn citizens. — The Economist, "China is using Kublai Khan’s methods to quell protests in Hong Kong," 29 Aug. 2019 Part 4 explores how discoveries of life in the deep sea are informing the search for life elsewhere in the universe. — Rebecca Asoulin, The Christian Science Monitor, "Wait, fish make noise? Meet the ‘fish listeners.’ (audio)," 29 Aug. 2019 In February, an artificial intelligence lab cofounded by Elon Musk informed the world that its latest breakthrough was too risky to release to the public. — Tom Simonite, WIRED, "OpenAI Said Its Code Was Risky. Two Grads Recreated It Anyway," 26 Aug. 2019 In all three works, the real women’s letters inform the plot. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "Hear Virginia Wolf & Vita Sackville West's Love Story In Their Own Words," 24 Aug. 2019 Any credible research into social media should be permeated by an acute awareness of how the past informs the present. — Thomas Molony, Quartz Africa, "Social media is reinforcing political power structures in Africa more than it’s challenging them," 16 Aug. 2019 The furniture is a big part of the story but is usually informed by the theme and color scheme. — Charles Curkin, ELLE Decor, "Rayman Boozer Knows How to Bring Color Into Your Home," 14 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inform.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of inform

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

History and Etymology for inform

Middle English, from Anglo-French enformer, from Latin informare, from in- + forma form

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More Definitions for inform

inform

verb
How to pronounce inform (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of inform

: to give information to (someone)
formal : to be or provide the essential quality of (something) : to be very noticeable in (something)

See the full definition for inform in the English Language Learners Dictionary

inform

verb
in·​form | \ in-ˈfȯrm How to pronounce inform (audio) \
informed; informing

Kids Definition of inform

1 : to let a person know something I informed him of the changes.
2 : to give information so as to accuse or cause suspicion He refused to inform on his friends.

Other Words from inform

informer noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on inform

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with inform

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inform

Spanish Central: Translation of inform

Nglish: Translation of inform for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of inform for Arabic Speakers

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