inform

/ɪnˈfɔərm/

/ɪnˈfɔm/

Other forms: informed; informing; informs

To inform is to tell someone news, pass on wisdom, leak gossip, or give instruction. You've been informed that you won the raffle at the county fair. What are you going to do with all that cheese?

The Latin verb infōrmāre means "to form or shape." The idea of passing on knowledge came about in the 14th Century, with the meaning of "teaching or instructing" coming later. Thomas Jefferson, who believed democracy to be impossible without informed citizens, said, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”

Definitions of inform

1. verb

   impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to
   “I informed him of his rights”

   types:

   wise up

   cause someone to become aware of something

   instruct, learn, teach

   impart skills or knowledge to

   apprise, apprize, instruct

   make aware of

   inoculate

   introduce an idea or attitude into the mind of

   acquaint

   inform

   warn

   notify, usually in advance

   fill in

   supply with information on a specific topic

   update

   bring up to date; supply with recent information

   misinform, mislead

   give false or misleading information to

   downplay, minimise, minimize, understate

   represent as less significant or important

   betray, denounce, give away, grass, rat, shop, snitch, stag, tell on

   give away information about somebody

   undeceive

   free from deception or illusion

   warn

   notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

   advise, apprise, apprize, give notice, notify, send word

   inform (somebody) of something

   acquaint, familiarise, familiarize

   make familiar or conversant with

   cue, prompt, remind

   assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned

   volunteer

   tell voluntarily

   acquaint, introduce, present

   cause to come to know personally

   regret

   express with regret

   designate, indicate, point, show

   indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

   indicate

   state or express briefly

   indicate, suggest

   suggest the necessity of an intervention; in medicine

   nark

   inform or spy (for the police)

   explain, explicate

   make plain and comprehensible

   tell

   let something be known

   narrate, recite, recount, tell

   narrate or give a detailed account of

   narrate

   provide commentary for a film, for example

   account, describe, report

   give an account or representation of in words

   report

   make known to the authorities

   cover, report

   be responsible for reporting the details of, as in journalism

   announce, denote

   make known; make an announcement

   disabuse

   free somebody (from an erroneous belief)

   point out, remonstrate

   present and urge reasons in opposition

   bear witness, evidence, prove, show, testify

   provide evidence for

   develop, educate, prepare, train

   create by training and teaching

   indoctrinate

   teach doctrines to; teach uncritically

   drill

   teach by repetition

   direct

   give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction

   digress, divagate, stray, wander

   lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking

   catechise, catechize

   give religious instructions to

   reinforce, reward

   strengthen and support with rewards

   spoonfeed

   teach without challenging the students

   attest, certify, demonstrate, evidence, manifest

   provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes

   represent

   point out or draw attention to in protest or remonstrance

   induct

   introduce or initiate

   mentor

   serve as a teacher or trusted counselor

   tutor

   be a tutor to someone; give individual instruction

   unteach

   cause to disbelieve; teach someone the contrary of what he or she had learned earlier

   unteach

   cause to unlearn

   ground

   instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject

   lecture, talk

   deliver a lecture or talk

   brief

   give essential information to someone

   coach, train

   teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports

   lie

   tell an untruth; pretend with intent to deceive

   beat around the bush, equivocate, palter, prevaricate, tergiversate

   be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

   amplify, exaggerate, hyperbolise, hyperbolize, magnify, overdraw, overstate

   to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth

   trivialise, trivialize

   make trivial or insignificant

   sandbag

   downplay one's ability (towards others) in a game in order to deceive, as in gambling

   denounce

   announce the termination of, as of treaties

   betray, deceive, lead astray

   cause someone to believe an untruth

   forewarn, previse

   warn in advance or beforehand; give an early warning

   admonish, caution, monish

   warn strongly; put on guard

   threaten

   utter intentions of injury or punishment against

   alarm, alert

   warn or arouse to a sense of danger or call to a state of preparedness

   orient

   familiarize (someone) with new surroundings or circumstances

   verse

   familiarize through thorough study or experience

   reacquaint

   become familiar with again

   get into

   familiarize oneself thoroughly with

   re-introduce, reintroduce

   introduce anew

   present

   formally present a debutante, a representative of a country, etc.

   meld

   announce for a score; of cards in a card game

   bespeak, betoken, indicate, point, signal

   be a signal for or a symptom of

   read, record, register, show

   indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments

   point

   indicate the presence of (game) by standing and pointing with the muzzle

   finger

   indicate the fingering for the playing of musical scores for keyboard instruments

   call attention, point out, signalise, signalize

   point out carefully and clearly

   break, bring out, disclose, discover, divulge, expose, give away, let on, let out, reveal, unwrap

   make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

   sell out

   give information that compromises others

   interpret, rede

   give an interpretation or explanation to

   account for

   give reasons for

   naturalize

   explain with reference to nature

   clarify, clear up, elucidate

   make clear and (more) comprehensible

   spill, talk

   reveal information

   relate

   give an account of

   crack

   tell spontaneously

   yarn

   tell or spin a yarn

   rhapsodise, rhapsodize

   recite an epic poem

   evidence, tell

   give evidence

   air, bare, publicise, publicize

   make public

   ingeminate, iterate, reiterate, repeat, restate, retell

   to say, state, or perform again

   report

   announce one's presence

   report

   announce as the result of an investigation or experience or finding

   propagandise, propagandize

   subject to propaganda

   announce, annunciate, foretell, harbinger, herald

   foreshadow or presage

   blazon out, cry

   proclaim or announce in public

   trump, trump out

   proclaim or announce with or as if with a fanfare

   blare out, blat out

   announce loudly

   call out

   call out loudly, as of names or numbers

   advertise, advertize, publicise, publicize

   call attention to

   edify, enlighten

   make understand

   post

   publicize with, or as if with, a poster

   presume

   constitute reasonable evidence for

   abduce, adduce, cite

   advance evidence for

   comment

   explain or interpret something

   signify

   make known with a word or signal

   bring out, introduce

   bring before the public for the first time, as of an actor, song, etc.

   call

   indicate a decision in regard to

   fear

   be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement

   reflect

   manifest or bring back

   sound

   announce by means of a sound

   give, impart, leave, pass on

   transmit (knowledge or skills)

   condition

   establish a conditioned response

   type of:

   communicate, intercommunicate

   transmit thoughts or feelings
2. verb

   act as an informer
   “She had informed on her own parents for years”

   types:

   evidence, tell

   give evidence
3. verb

   give character or essence to
   “The principles that inform modern teaching”

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation