inform

in·form  (n-fôrm)

v. in·formed, in·form·ing, in·forms

v.tr.

1.

a. To impart information to; make aware of something: We were informed by mail of the change in plans. The nurse informed me that visiting hours were over.

b. To acquaint (oneself) with knowledge of a subject.

2. To give form or character to; imbue with a quality or an essence: "A society's strength is measured by . . . its ability to inform a future generation with its moral standards" Vanity Fair.

3. To be a pervasive presence in; animate: "It is this brash, backroom sensibility that informs his work as a novelist" Jeff Shear.

4. Obsolete To form (the mind or character) by teaching or training.

v.intr.

1. To give or provide information.

2. To disclose confidential or incriminating information to an authority: The defendant informed against the other members of the ring.

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[Middle English enfourmen, informen, from Old French enfourmer, from Latin nfrmre : in-, in; see in-² + frmre, to fashion (from frma, form).]

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inform

Verb

1. to give information to; tell: he informed me that he would be free after lunch

2. to make knowledgeable (about) or familiar (with): he'll be informed of his rights

3. to give incriminating information to the police

4. to impart some essential or formative characteristic to

5. to animate or inspire [Latin informare to describe]

informed adj

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights" wise up - cause someone to become aware of something communicate, intercommunicate - transmit thoughts or feelings; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" instruct, teach, learn - impart skills or knowledge to; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat" apprise, apprize, instruct - make aware of; "Have the students been apprised of the tuition hike?" inoculate - introduce an idea or attitude into the mind of; "My teachers inoculated me with their beliefs" acquaint - inform; "Please acquaint your colleagues of your plans to move" warn - notify, usually in advance; "I warned you that I would ask some difficult questions" inform - act as an informer; "She had informed on her own parents for years" fill in - supply with information on a specific topic; "He filled me in on the latest developments" update - bring up to date; supply with recent information misinform, mislead - give false or misleading information to downplay, minimise, understate, minimize - represent as less significant or important shit, tell on, snitch, stag, shop, denounce, give away, betray, grass, rat - give away information about somebody; "He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam" undeceive - free from deception or illusion warn - notify of danger, potential harm, or risk; "The director warned him that he might be fired"; "The doctor warned me about the dangers of smoking" apprise, apprize, notify, send word, give notice, advise - inform (somebody) of something; "I advised him that the rent was due" familiarise, familiarize, acquaint - make familiar or conversant with; "you should acquaint yourself with your new computer"; "We familiarized ourselves with the new surroundings" cue, remind, prompt - assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned volunteer - tell voluntarily; "He volunteered the information" acquaint, introduce, present - cause to come to know personally; "permit me to acquaint you with my son"; "introduce the new neighbors to the community" regret - express with regret; "I regret to say that you did not gain admission to Harvard" point, indicate, designate, show - indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively; "I showed the customer the glove section"; "He pointed to the empty parking space"; "he indicated his opponents" indicate - to state or express briefly; "indicated his wishes in a letter" suggest, indicate - suggest the necessity of an intervention; in medicine; "Tetracycline is indicated in such cases" nark - inform or spy (for the police) explain, explicate - make plain and comprehensible; "He explained the laws of physics to his students" tell - let something be known; "Tell them that you will be late" recount, narrate, tell, recite - narrate or give a detailed account of; "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child" narrate - provide commentary for a film, for example report, describe, account - to give an account or representation of in words; "Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental" report - make known to the authorities; "One student reported the other to the principal" report, cover - be responsible for reporting the details of, as in journalism; "Snow reported on China in the 1950's"; "The cub reporter covered New York City" announce, denote - make known; make an announcement; "She denoted her feelings clearly" disabuse - free somebody (from an erroneous belief) remonstrate, point out - present and urge reasons in opposition bear witness, evidence, testify, prove, show - provide evidence for; "The blood test showed that he was the father"; "Her behavior testified to her incompetence"
	2.	inform - give character or essence to; "The principles that inform modern teaching" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	3.	inform - act as an informer; "She had informed on her own parents for years" inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights" evidence, tell - give evidence; "he was telling on all his former colleague"

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inform

verb 1. tell, advise, let someone know, notify, brief, instruct, enlighten, acquaint, leak to, communicate to, fill someone in, keep someone posted, apprise, clue someone in (informal) put someone in the picture (informal) tip someone off, send word to, give someone to understand, make someone conversant (with)

verb 2. infuse, characterize, permeate, animate, saturate, typify, imbue, suffuse

inform on someone betray, report, denounce, shop (slang), chiefly Brit. peach (slang) give someone away, incriminate, tell on (informal) blow the whistle on (informal) grass on Brit. (slang) double-cross (informal) rat on (informal) spill the beans on (informal) stab someone in the back, nark Brit., Austral., N.Z. (slang) blab about, squeal on (slang) snitch on (slang) put the finger on (informal) sell someone down the river (informal) blow the gaff on Brit. (slang) tell all on, inculpate, dob someone in Austral., N.Z. (slang)

Translations

inform [ɪnˈfɔːm] vt to inform sb of sth → informar a algn sobre or de algo (= warn); avisar a algn de algo (= communicate); comunicar algo a algn vi to inform on sb → delatar a algn

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inform [ɪnˈfɔːm] vt to inform sb (of) → informer or avertir qn (de) vi to inform on sb → dénoncer qn, informer contre qn;

to inform sb about → renseigner qn sur, mettre qn au courant de

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inform [ɪnˈfɔːm] vt to inform sb of sth → jdn von etw unterrichten, jdn über etw acc informieren vi to inform on sb → jdn denunzieren

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inform [ɪnˈfɔːm] vt to inform sb (of) → informare qn (di) vi to inform on sb → denunciare qn;

to inform sb about → mettere qn al corrente di