information — English Dictionary

information
Pronunciations (5)
  • /ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/
    Pronunciation notes
    • UK
  • /ˌɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/
    Pronunciation notes
    • General-American
  • /ˌɪn.fəˈmæɪ.ʃən/
    Pronunciation notes
    • Australia
  • ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃən
    Pronunciation notes
    • GB
  • ˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃən
    Pronunciation notes
    • US

Noun

  1. Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
    Examples
    More examples (1)

    And now we come to the third keystone, information.⁸ Information may be thought of as a reduction in entropy—as the ingredient that distinguishes an orderly, structured system from the vast set of random, useless ones.⁹ Imagine pages of random characters tapped out by a monkey at a typewriter, or a stretch of white noise from a radio tuned between channels, or a screenful of confetti from a corrupted computer file. Each of these objects can take trillions of different forms, each as boring as the next. But now suppose that the devices are controlled by a signal that arranges the characters or sound waves or pixels into a pattern that correlates with something in the world: the Declaration of Independence, the opening bars of “Hey Jude,” a cat wearing sunglasses. We say that the signal transmits information about the Declaration or the song or the cat.¹⁰

  2. Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
    Examples

    I need some more information about this issue.

    More examples (3)

    And ſo much yet did this contagion breake foorth to the harme of manie Inhabitants of his Towne, who affected the Vicont, that they which were encountred by the kinges troupes, (information being geuen of their demeanor) they were iudged to be of good prize, and voluntarely paid ranſom.

    It is usual to obtain by means of a census a good deal of information beyond the bare fact of the number of persons whose existence is, for the purposes of the census, taken cognizance of. Part of this information is obtained for purposes connected with the administration of the state, such as that contained in replies to questions as to the religion, profession, &c., of the individuals numbered.

    By accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information. This data collection threatens to provide the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information—which would permit China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information.

  3. The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
    Examples

    For your information, I did this because I wanted to.

    More examples (1)

    At this time a great uneasiness became manifest among the Castilians, and it was rumored that Magallanes was going to deliver them over to the Portuguese; and they resolved to mutiny and seize the ships. Magallanes upon obtaining information of this was sorely grieved. He summoned the guilty ones before him one by one, but they flatly refused to come.

  4. A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • usually
    Examples
    More examples (1)

    That friend, […] added, with a smile, that he had more than once amused himself with the thought of a verbarian Attorney-General, authorized to bring informations ex officio against the writer or editor of any work in extensive circulation, who, after due notice issued, should persevere in misusing a word.

    'We have another deposition, doctor, to take; Mr. Irons, here, is prepared to swear informations of very singular importance.'

    On May 21, 1792, the Attorney General filed an information against Paine charging him with seditious libel.

    More examples (1)

    The second formal method of charging someone with a crime is by information. Informations are filed by prosecutors without grand jury review.

  5. The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation.

    Usage
    • Obsolete
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  6. The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training.

    Usage
    • Archaic
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  7. The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation.

    Usage
    • Archaic
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  8. The meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in its representation.

    Usage
    • Formal
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  9. Divine inspiration.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
    Examples

    But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon

  10. A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  11. Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the bit.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  12. The output resulting from the systematic collection, manipulation and organization of raw data into a structured, interpretable format.

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually
  13. Any ordered sequence of symbols (or signals) (that could contain a message).

    Usage
    • Uncountable
    • usually

Noun

  1. a message received and understood

    Synonyms
  2. knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction

  3. formal accusation of a crime

    Broader terms
  4. a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn

    Synonyms
    Examples

    statistical data

  5. (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome

    Broader terms
    Examples

    the signal contained thousands of bits of information

Word forms
informations

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