inform

See also: in form and inform.

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɔɹm/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɔːm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)m

Etymology 1

From Middle English informen, enformen, borrowed from Old French enformer, informer (“to train, instruct, inform”), from Latin īnfōrmō (“to shape, form, train, instruct, educate”), from in- (“into”) + fōrma (“form, shape”), equivalent to in- +‎ form.

Alternative forms

• enform (obsolete)

Verb

inform (third-person singular simple present informs, present participle informing, simple past and past participle informed)

1. (archaic, transitive) To instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).
2. (transitive) To communicate knowledge to.
   • 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC:

     For he would learn their business secretly, / And then inform his master hastily.

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     I am informed thoroughly of the cause.

3. (intransitive) To impart information or knowledge.
4. To act as an informer; denounce.
5. (transitive) To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.).

   His sense of religion informs everything he writes.

   • 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:

     WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.

   • 1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 397, lines 1169-1170:

     Let others better mould the running mass / Of metals, and inform the breathing brass

   • 1858, Matthew Prior, The poetical works of Matthew Prior, Edinburgh: Printed by Ballantyne and Company, page 120, line 401:

     O! long as breath informs this fleeting frame / Ne'er let me pass in silence Dorset's name

6. (obsolete, intransitive) To make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably.
7. (formal, transitive) To direct, guide.

   Don't forget the code of ethics that informs this profession.

8. (archaic, intransitive) To take form; to become visible or manifest; to appear.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.

Synonyms

• (communicate knowledge to (trans.)): acquaint, apprise, notify; See also Thesaurus:inform
• (act as informer): dob, name names, peach, snitch; See also Thesaurus:rat out
• (take form): materialize, take shape; See also Thesaurus:come into being

Derived terms

• informant
• information
• informative
• informatory
• informed
• informer
• inform on
• misinform
• uninformed

 

Translations

instruct — see instruct

to communicate knowledge to another/others (transitive)

• Albanian: informoj (sq)
• Arabic: بَلَّغَ (ballaḡa), أَبْلَغَ (ar) (ʔablaḡa), أَخْبَرَ (ar) (ʔaḵbara)

  Egyptian Arabic: خبر (ḵabbir)

• Armenian: տեղեկացնել (hy) (teġekacʻnel)
• Azerbaijani: məlumat vermək
• Belarusian: паведамля́ць impf (pavjedamljácʹ), паве́даміць pf (pavjédamicʹ), інфармава́ць impf (infarmavácʹ), паінфармава́ць pf (painfarmavácʹ)
• Borôro: bije
• Bulgarian: съобща́вам (bg) impf (sǎobštávam), известя́вам (bg) impf (izvestjávam), информи́рам (bg) impf or pf (informíram)
• Burmese: သတင်းပေး (my) (sa.tang:pe:), ကြား (my) (kra:), အသိပေး (my) (a.si.pe:)
• Catalan: informar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 通知 (zh) (tōngzhī), 告知 (zh) (gàozhī)

• Czech: informovat (cs) impf
• Danish: informere (da)
• Dutch: informeren (nl), inlichten (nl), voorlichten (nl)
• Estonian: informeerima (et), teavitama
• Farefare: ko'ose
• Finnish: tiedottaa (fi)
• French: informer (fr)
• Georgian: ინფორმირება (inpormireba), შტყობინება (šṭq̇obineba)
• German: informieren (de), mitteilen (de), benachrichtigen (de), Bescheid sagen (de)
• Greek: πληροφορώ (el) (pliroforó)
• Hebrew: הוֹדִיעַ (he) (hodía)
• Hindi: सूचित करना (sūcit karnā), बताना (hi) (batānā), ख़बर करना (xabar karnā), जानकारी देना (jānkārī denā), अवगत करना (avgat karnā)
• Hungarian: informál (hu), tájékoztat (hu), értesít (hu), felvilágosít (hu)
• Interlingua: informar
• Italian: informare (it)
• Japanese: 告げる (ja) (つげる, tsugeru), 知らせる (ja) (しらせる, shiraseru), 通知する (ja) (つうちする, tsūchi suru), 教える (ja) (おしえる, oshieru)
• Kazakh: хабарлау (xabarlau), хабарландыру (xabarlandyru)
• Khmer: ចែង (km) (caeng), ជម្រាប (km) (cumriəp), ទួល (km) (tuəl) (royal)
• Korean: 알리다 (ko) (allida), 전달하다 (ko) (jeondalhada), 통지하다 (ko) (tongjihada), 가르치다 (ko) (gareuchida)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ئاگادان (agadan), تێگەیاندن (têgeyandin)

• Kyrgyz: кабарлоо (kabarloo), маалымдоо (maalımdoo), билмелөө (bilmelöö), билдирүү (ky) (bildirüü)
• Lao: ບົ່ງ (bong), ບອກ (bǭk)
• Latin: doceo (la)
• Latvian: informēt
• Lithuanian: informuoti (lt), pranešti (lt)
• Macedonian: известува impf (izvestuva), извести pf (izvesti), информи́ра impf or pf (informíra)
• Malay: memberitahu, mengkhabarkan, maalumkan
• Maori: whakamōhio, whakarongo
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: мэдээлэх (mn) (medeelex)

  Mongolian: ᠮᠡᠳᠡᠭᠡᠯᠡᠬᠦ (medegelekü)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: informere

  Nynorsk: informere

• Persian: اطلاع دادن (fa) (etelâ' dâdan), آگاه کردن (fa) (âgâh kardan), اخبار کردن (exbâr kardan), خبر دادن (xabar dâdan), معلوم کردن (fa) (ma'lum kardan)
• Polish: powiadamiać (pl) impf, powiadomić (pl) pf, informować (pl) impf, poinformować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: informar (pt)
• Romanian: a informa (ro)
• Russian: сообща́ть (ru) impf (soobščátʹ), сообщи́ть (ru) pf (soobščítʹ), информи́ровать (ru) impf (informírovatʹ), проинформи́ровать (ru) pf (proinformírovatʹ), извеща́ть (ru) impf (izveščátʹ), извести́ть (ru) pf (izvestítʹ), оповеща́ть (ru) impf (opoveščátʹ), оповести́ть (ru) pf (opovestítʹ), уведомля́ть (ru) impf (uvedomljátʹ), уве́домить (ru) pf (uvédomitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: обавешта́вати impf, обаве́стити pf, обавјешта́вати impf, обавије́стити pf

  Roman: obaveštávati (sh) impf, obaviéstiti pf, obavještávati (sh) impf, obavijéstiti (sh) pf

• Slovak: informovať impf
• Slovene: obveščati impf, obvestiti pf
• Spanish: informar (es), enterar (es), reportar (es), anoticiar (es)
• Swedish: informera (sv), upplysa (sv), meddela (sv)
• Tajik: хабар додан (xabar dodan), маълум кардан (maʾlum kardan), огоҳ кардан (ogoh kardan)
• Thai: แจ้ง (th) (jɛ̂ɛng), บอก (th) (bɔ̀ɔk)
• Turkish: bilgi vermek (tr)
• Ukrainian: повідомля́ти impf (povidomljáty), пові́домити pf (povídomyty), інформува́ти impf (informuváty), поінформува́ти pf (poinformuváty)
• Urdu: آگاہ کرنا (ur) (āgāh karnā), اطلاع کرنا (ittilā' karnā), بتانا (batānā), خبر کرنا (xabar karnā)
• Uzbek: aytmoq (uz), bildirmoq (uz), xabar qilmoq
• Vietnamese: thông báo (vi)

to impart information or knowledge (intransitive)

• Dutch: informeren (nl), voorlichten (nl)
• Finnish: tiedottaa (fi)
• French: informer (fr), instruire (fr)
• German: informieren (de)
• Hungarian: közöl (hu), megoszt (hu), tudat (hu), tudomására hoz (hu)
• Japanese: 教える (ja) (おしえる, oshieru)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ئاگادان (agadan), تێگەیاندن (têgeyandin)

• Maori: whakaatu
• Portuguese: informar (pt)
• Swedish: informera (sv)

to act as an informer, denounce — see also inform on

• Bulgarian: изда́вам (bg) impf (izdávam)
• Dutch: verklikken (nl)
• Finnish: vasikoida (fi)
• French: dénoncer (fr)
• German: denunzieren (de)
• Greek: καταδίδω (el) (katadído)

  Ancient Greek: μηνύω (mēnúō)

• Hungarian: feljelent (hu)
• Polish: donosić (pl) impf, donieść (pl) pf
• Russian: доноси́ть (ru) impf (donosítʹ), донести́ (ru) pf (donestí)
• Spanish: delatar (es)
• Ukrainian: доно́сити impf (donósyty), донести́ pf (donestý)

to give form or character to; to inspire; to affect, influence (transitive)

• Bulgarian: одухотворя́вам (bg) impf (oduhotvorjávam)
• Hungarian: áthat (hu), átjár (hu), kihat (hu), hatással van (hu)
• Indonesian: mempengaruhi
• Japanese: 情報で影響を上げる (jōhō de eikyō o ageru), 情報で強化する (jōhō de kyōka-suru) (specifically, to strengthen)

(obsolete in English) to make known (intransitive)

• Dutch: informeren (nl), kond doen
• Finnish: tiedottaa (fi)
• French: informer (fr)
• Japanese: 知らせる (ja) (しらせる, shiraseru)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ئاگادان (agadan), تێگەیاندن (têgeyandin)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} informar (io)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} informar

Etymology 2

Latin īnfōrmis

Adjective

inform (not comparable)

1. Without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed.
   • 1765, Charles Cotton, “Wonders of Peake”, in Poetical Works, page 342:

     Bleak Crags, and naked Hills,
     And the whole Prospect so inform and rude

Anagrams

• -formin, F minor, Morfin, formin

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French informe, from Latin informis.

Adjective

inform m or n (feminine singular informă, masculine plural informi, feminine and neuter plural informe)

1. deformed

Declension

Declension of inform

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	inform		informă	informi	informe
	definite	informul		informa	informii	informele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	inform		informe	informi	informe
	definite	informului		informei	informilor	informelor