Meaning & use
inform
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To tell someone about a fact or situation.
Grammar: Needs a person as object: inform him of the change; inform someone that the flight is late.
Patterns
- inform someone of something
- inform someone that something happened
- inform someone about something
Please inform us of any changes.
She informed me that the meeting was canceled.
The bank informed him about the fee.
verbintransitive
To secretly tell the police or authorities about someone's wrongdoing.
Grammar: Used with on or against.
Patterns
- inform on someone
- inform against someone
He informed on his partners to the police.
Neighbors informed against the smugglers.
verbtransitiveformal
To influence or shape something by providing a basis for it.
Grammar: The object is usually an idea or decision: inform policy.
Patterns
- inform something
Research should inform our decisions.
Her travels informed her writing.
Word forms
| third person singular | informs |
|---|---|
| past tense | informed |
| past participle | informed |
| -ing form | informing |
Common combinations
- inform someone of
- I will inform you of the results.
- keep someone informed
- Keep me informed.
- well informed
- She is well informed about politics.
- inform on
- He informed on his friends.
- inform a decision
- Data informs every decision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- notify
- More formal and suggests an official message.
- tell
- The everyday word with a less formal tone.
- advise
- Can mean give notice formally or give recommendations.
- brief
- Means to give someone detailed instructions or facts before an event.
Opposites
Word family
- information noun
- facts told or learned
- informant noun
- a person who gives information, often secretly
- informative adjective
- giving useful facts
Commonly confused: inform or inform vs. say?
inform vs inform vs. say
Say does not need a person after it, but inform does: say it to him, inform him.
Practice
The airline will ___ passengers of any delay by text message.
Choose one answer.
Inform takes a person as a direct object followed by of. Say and speak do not take that pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inform”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.