information

information — noun

1. facts that tell you about a particular person, thing, event, or situation

1.nounA2
Definition

facts that tell you about a particular person, thing, event, or situation

Example

Lan found useful information about local bus routes on the city website.

information + about + topic

The librarian gave Maja all the information she needed for her school project.

give + information (provide facts to someone)

Common collocations
  • useful information
  • relevant information
  • detailed information
  • personal information
  • information about
  • information on
Synonyms
  • facts

    more concrete; refers to individual truths rather than a collected body of details

  • details

    focuses on specific pieces of information, often the smaller parts of a whole

  • data

    more technical or scientific; often refers to information in a form that can be processed or analysed

Antonyms
  • misinformation

    false or incorrect information that is spread, whether intentionally or not

Grammar Patterns

information + about/on + noun phrase

some/more/any + information

Usage Note

Information is an uncountable noun. Do not write 'informations' or 'an information'. Use 'some information' or 'a piece of information' instead.

Common Mistakes

I need informations about the train schedule.
I need information about the train schedule.
information has no plural form.
She gave me an information.
She gave me a piece of information.
information is uncountable and cannot directly follow 'a' or 'an'.

2. knowledge that you gain by studying a subject, learning from experience, or bein

2.nounB1
Definition

knowledge that you gain by studying a subject, learning from experience, or being taught

Example

The training session gave Niran valuable information about how to manage a small team.

valuable information (collocation with value adjective)

Salma's book contains useful information on growing vegetables in a small garden.

contain + information + on + topic

Common collocations
  • valuable information
  • useful information
  • background information
  • technical information
  • scientific information
  • gain information
  • obtain information
Synonyms
  • knowledge

    broader and deeper; implies understanding built over time rather than collected facts

  • learning

    emphasises the process and result of study; more personal than information

  • expertise

    specialised knowledge in a particular field; implies a higher level of skill

Antonyms
  • ignorance

    lack of knowledge or information about something

Grammar Patterns

information + about/on + noun phrase

verb + information (gain/obtain/acquire)

Usage Note

This sense emphasises information as the result of learning or research, rather than casual facts picked up in daily life. Frequently used with verbs such as 'gain', 'obtain', 'acquire', and 'collect'.

Common Mistakes

I learned many informations from the course.
I learned a lot of information from the course.
'many' cannot be used with uncountable nouns; use 'a lot of' or 'much' instead.
The information are very helpful.
The information is very helpful.
information always takes a singular verb.

3. news or reports about a particular event, especially when it is important, secre

3.nounB1
Definition

news or reports about a particular event, especially when it is important, secret, or not yet widely known

Example

The police are asking anyone with information about the robbery to call the station.

information about [event] in official context

Jabari received information that the job interview had been moved to Thursday morning.

receive + information + that-clause

Common collocations
  • latest information
  • inside information
  • classified information
  • sensitive information
  • information about
  • information regarding
Synonyms
  • news

    focuses on recent events reported publicly; less specific about details than information

  • intelligence

    more formal; often used in military or government contexts for secret or strategic information

  • reports

    emphasises that the information comes in the form of an organised account or document

Grammar Patterns

information + about + noun phrase

information + that-clause

receive/have + information

Usage Note

This sense often appears in news, police, or intelligence contexts. The information may be new, time-sensitive, or confidential. Distinguish from sense 1 (general facts) — sense 3 implies the information concerns a specific unfolding event.

Common Mistakes

I heard a news about the accident from my friend.
I received information about the accident from my friend.
'news' is uncountable and can sound vague; 'information' is more precise for specific facts about an event.
He gave me an important information regarding the meeting.
He gave me important information regarding the meeting.
omit the article 'an' since information is uncountable.
Idioms

for your information

idiom

Used to indicate that a document or statement is provided for someone's knowledge but does not require any action from them.

Sara sent the report for your information only.

For your information, the meeting has been moved to Friday.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Facts' are individual pieces of information that can be proven true (the fact that the earth orbits the sun). 'Data' is a more technical term, used for information that is collected and often processed by computers or in scientific research (the data from the experiment). 'Details' are the smaller, specific pieces of information that make up a larger picture (the details of the travel plan). 'News' refers to recent information about current events, shared through media or conversation (the news about the election results). Choose 'information' when you want a general, neutral term that covers all of these. For example: 'The report contains useful information about customer habits.' 'The report contains useful data about customer buying patterns.' 'The report contains useful facts about customer behaviour.' Each choice shifts the focus slightly.

factsdata ↗detailsnews ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'information' entered English in the 1300s through Old French 'informacion', which came from Latin 'informationem' (nominative 'informatio'), meaning 'a shaping, a giving of form to the mind, an idea'. The Latin verb 'informare' combined 'in-' (into) with 'formare' (to shape, form), literally 'to shape the mind by teaching'. Originally about the act of giving form to ideas through instruction, the meaning widened by the 1400s to cover any body of facts or knowledge. The sense of 'news or intelligence about events' emerged in the mid-1500s.