informer
UK/in'fɒ:mә/US
GREA2
Definitions
n.
A person who informs against another, especially to the police.
告密者；线人
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedinformnot, opposite of
+
-erform, shape, appearance
=informer
inform + -er = one who informs (typically authorities about criminal activity). The agentive form took on a pejorative tilt — «informer» implies secretly reporting.
Common Collocations
- 1.police informer警察线人
- 2.FBI informer联邦调查局线人
- 3.[confidential] informer[保密的]线人
Example Sentences
- 1.
Police investigations rely on informers in some cases.