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to inform

to inform

41 6.8
To secretly tell the police about someone's illegal actions
  • verb
  • /ɪnˈfɔrm/
translation icon : delatar
  • Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you there is a criminal in our midst.

Look at the people willing to inform on their neighbors.

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Examples

  • The whistleblower decided to inform the authorities about the illegal activities happening in the company.

  • Look at the people willing to inform on their neighbors.

  • When they brought me in for questioning, I informed on my friends the very first day.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I informed SIS, they've made note of it, but it is not illegal to phone someone.

  • The man, who asked to remain anonymous, informed the police of the woman's daring attempt to rescue him and praised her bravery in bringing him down off the mountain all on her own.

  • To protect her community, she chose to inform on the drug dealers operating nearby.

  • He felt obligated to inform the police about his neighbor's suspicious behavior.

Synonyms

to tell
vsto inform
2.7

Report someone's actions to the police or an authority

can be secret and informal rather than an open official statement
to betray
vsto inform
143 4.6

Tell someone's secret to other people

aims at reporting to authorities rather than at general disclosure
to rat out
vsto inform
  • Informal
76 8.6

To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust

focuses on wrongdoing reporting rather than general exposure
to sing
vsto inform
  • Slang
70 8.4

To tell secret information to the police or other officials

focuses on providing evidence about crimes rather than on betrayal
to blow the whistle
vsto inform
37 5.1

To tell the authorities or the public about wrongdoing

is private reporting to authorities rather than formal public exposing
to snitch
vsto inform
  • Slang
36 7.9

To secretly tell the police or a person in charge about someone's bad actions

focuses on wrongdoing rather than on betraying personal trust
to tell on
vsto inform
  • Informal
35 4.4

To report to a person in charge that someone did something wrong so they get in trouble

does not aim to cause the person's punishment
to denounce
vsto inform
  • Formal
19 6.5

Tell authorities about someone, often exposing them to punishment

is carried out privately rather than as a public denunciation
to shop
vsto inform
  • Informal
12 8.0

To tell the police or a manager that someone did something wrong

targets secret information rather than formal legal action
to tattle
vsto inform
  • Informal
8 7.0

Tell a person in charge about someone else's bad actions in a childish way

relates to secret reporting about wrongdoing, not childish gossip
to peach
vsto inform
  • Archaic
2 9.9

To tell authorities secret information about someone to get them in trouble

focuses on reporting wrongdoing rather than on general betrayal
to dob in
vsto inform
  • UK
1 9.9

To tell the police or a teacher that someone did something wrong

involves secret disclosures rather than direct formal complaints

Antonyms

282 3.7

To hide something so others cannot see or find it

How Official

to report
686 1.6
to inform
41 6.8
to tattle
  • Informal
8 7.0
to tell
1.0

Surface Forms

inform infinitive
informed past
informed past participle
informing present participle
informs third person singular

Morphology

inform = form (semi-transparent) = in + form

The 'inform (on/against)' sense is an extension of 'give information' and is not directly inferable from 'form' for many learners, though it is related historically.

Etymology

The word inform can also mean 'to tell on' someone; it grew from the same idea of giving facts for official use, coming from in- 'into' and formare 'to form'. So to inform on someone is to report them to the police or other authorities.