Meaning & use
informer
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Meanings
nouncountabledisapproving
Someone who secretly tells the police or another authority about the wrongdoing of others, often in return for a reward or leniency.
Grammar: Often followed by on or against: an informer on the gang.
Patterns
- an informer on someone
- an informer for the police
The gang suspected there was an informer among them.
Detectives protected the identity of their informer.
He worked as a paid informer for the customs service.
nouncountablerare
A person or thing that gives information of any kind to others.
Grammar: Rare and general; usually replaced by informant or source.
The village elder was our best informer on local history.
A good informer for the newsletter keeps editors up to date with news in the region.
The old map was an informer about how the town used to look.
Word forms
| plural | informers |
|---|
Common combinations
- police informer
- A police informer tipped them off about the raid.
- paid informer
- The regime relied on paid informers in every neighbourhood.
- act as an informer
- He agreed to act as an informer to avoid prison.
- turn informer
- One of the smugglers turned informer after his arrest.
- an informer on someone
- She was branded an informer on her own friends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- informant
- It is more neutral and common in official or research settings, while informer often sounds like betrayal.
- snitch
- It is informal and contemptuous, whereas informer can be used in plain reporting.
- grass
- It is British slang and very informal, so it does not suit formal writing.
- whistleblower
- It suggests someone exposing wrongdoing inside their own organisation for the public good, which is viewed more favourably.
Word family
- inform verb
- to tell someone something, or to secretly report on someone
- information noun
- facts or details about something
- informant noun
- a person who provides information
- informative adjective
- giving useful information
Commonly confused: informer or informant?
informer vs informant
An informant is the neutral term, such as a source who gives researchers information. Informer more often implies secret betrayal of colleagues or friends.
Practice
The police protected the ______ who had secretly told them where the stolen goods were hidden.
Choose one answer.
An informer secretly passes information to authorities. An interviewer asks questions, and an inspector checks things openly, so neither fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “informer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.