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stoolie

stoolie

3 9.9
A person who secretly gives information to the police, often from inside a group
  • noun
  • /ˈstuːli/
  • Offensive
translation icon : soplón
  • I'm no stoolie.

Examples

  • This stoolie is going to sing.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • First of all, thank you for being a stoolie and supporting us all these years.

  • Being a stoolie is my last official act.

  • A stoolie claims you bought it from him.

  • A stoolie who rats on his own friends?

  • Turns out the kid who got tossed is a stoolie.

    Blog text (34)
  • The criminal organization was infiltrated by a stoolie who provided the police with crucial information.

  • After months of investigation, they finally identified the stoolie who had been leaking details to law enforcement.

  • Everyone in the gang suspected that their friend was a stoolie, secretly informing the authorities about their activities.

Synonyms

spy
vsstoolie
623 2.9

A person who secretly collects information for a government or company

is focused on police decoy and local criminal investigation work
informant
vsstoolie
165 5.6

A person who secretly gives information to police, journalists, or researchers

is narrower, focusing on acting as a decoy or informer for police
snitch
vsstoolie
  • Slang
83 7.5

A person who secretly tells the police about someone else's bad actions

is about acting for police use rather than avoiding personal consequences
sneak
vsstoolie
  • Offensive
75 6.1

A person who secretly tells adults or police about things other people do wrong

is specifically about cooperating with police as an informer or decoy
informer
vsstoolie
27 6.0

A person who secretly tells police about someone else's crimes to get money or protection

emphasizes the decoy role and specific use in criminal investigations
undercover agent
vsstoolie
18 4.1

A person who works secretly for the police to gather information while hiding who they are

is a less formal role, often used by police without false identity
fink
vsstoolie
  • Offensive
18 9.2

A person who gives information about others to the police, betraying them

is the neutral police decoy sense without extra betrayal tone
canary
vsstoolie
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A person who gives the police secret information about criminals

is the informal term used for that same police decoy role
stool pigeon
vsstoolie
  • Offensive
3 8.9

A person who secretly gives information to the police

is the informal alternative used in the same police decoy meaning
nar
vsstoolie
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who tells the police about others' illegal drug acts

is broader for police decoy work in general criminal investigations
snitcher
vsstoolie
  • Offensive
1 8.7

A person who secretly tells the police about other people's crimes

is the same police informer idea but used for decoy work specifically
stoolpigeon
vsstoolie
  • Slang
9.9

A person who secretly tells the police about criminals

is the informal alternative used in the same police decoy meaning
shadower
vsstoolie
8.9

A person who follows someone secretly and tells others what they do

is more about active police cooperation as an informer or decoy

How Negative

rat
  • Offensive
330 7.3
stool pigeon
  • Offensive
3 8.9
stoolie
  • Offensive
3 9.9
informant
165 5.6

Surface Forms

stoolie singular
stoolies plural

Morphology

stoolie = stool (opaque) = stool + ie

Although formed from 'stool' + the diminutive/colloquial suffix '-ie', the meaning 'informer' is not derivable from the modern sense of 'stool' and instead comes via the phrase 'stool pigeon', making the relation opaque to learners.

Etymology

Stoolie comes from the older term stool pigeon. A stool pigeon was a bird tied to a small 'stool' and used as a 'decoy' to attract other birds, so a stoolie came to mean someone who lures people for the police or who tells on others.