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)

(archaic, transitive) To instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).
(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 15537294:
  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 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:
  I am informed thoroughly of the cause.
(intransitive) To impart information or knowledge.
To act as an informer; denounce.
(transitive) To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.).
- 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.
His sense of religion informs everything he writes.
- 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 403869432, lines 1169-1170, page 397:
  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, line 401, page 120:
  O! long as breath informs this fleeting frame / Ne'er let me pass in silence Dorset's name
(obsolete, intransitive) To make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably.
(obsolete, transitive) To direct, guide.
(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 606515358, [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) (ʾablaḡa), أَخْبَرَ‎ (ar) (ʾaḵbara)
Egyptian Arabic: خبر‎ (ḵabbir)
Armenian: տեղեկացնել (hy) (tełekacʿnel)
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
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 (hodía)
Hindi: सूचित करना (sūcit karnā), बताना (hi) (batānā), ख़बर करना (xabar 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 (kk) (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 (ku) (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 (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)
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
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
Japanese: 教える (ja) (おしえる, oshieru)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ئاگادان‎ (ku) (agadan), تێگەیاندن‎ (têgeyandin)
Maori: whakaatu
Portuguese: informar (pt)
Swedish: informera (sv)

to act as an informer, denounce

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)
Spanish: delatar (es)

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

(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 (ku) (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)

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

From French informe, from Latin informis.

Adjective

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

deformed

Declension

Declension of inform

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