informant
/ɪnˈfɔrmənt/
noun
- A person who gives information to someone, especially secretly or to the police or authorities.
- The journalist promised to protect her informant's identity.
- The police used an informant to gather evidence about the crime.
- A confidential informant provided the details that led to the arrest.
- A person who provides information about their language or culture to a researcher.
- The linguist interviewed several native informants to study the dialect.
- The researcher thanked the informants for sharing their stories.
- Anthropologists rely on local informants to understand community traditions.