If you inform someone of something, you tell them about it.
Inform is often followed by a 'that'-clause.
You do not usually omit that after inform. You do not say, for example, 'I informed her I was unwell'.
Inform is a fairly formal word. In conversation, you usually use tell.
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inform |
inform |
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" 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 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" 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" | |
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" |