Snitch: meaning, definitions and examples

Typically used in informal settings to describe someone who secretly reports another person’s wrongdoing, often carrying a negative connotation.

• He became known as a snitch after telling the teacher about the prank.

Often used in legal or police contexts to describe someone who provides information about criminal activity, without necessarily implying a negative connotation.

• The police relied on the informant to break the case wide open.

Used in both formal and informal settings to describe someone who betrays a trust or allegiance, often with serious and negative implications.

• He was seen as a traitor for leaking company secrets to the competitors.

Commonly used among children or in informal settings to describe someone who informs authority figures about trivial misconduct, often seen negatively.

• Nobody liked playing with him because he was a tattletale who told the teacher about every little thing.

Typically used in formal settings like workplaces or corporate environments to describe someone who exposes wrongdoing within an organization, often viewed positively or neutrally.

• The whistleblower revealed the company's illegal dumping practices.

Used informally and often has a negative connotation. It refers to someone who secretly tells authorities or others about someone's wrongdoing.

• He got caught because there was a snitch in their group.
• Nobody likes a snitch, you know.

Typically used in a more formal or legal context to describe someone who provides confidential information to authorities, often in exchange for some benefit.

• The police were able to bust the drug ring thanks to an informant.
• He worked as an informant for the FBI for several years.

Has a strong negative connotation, used to describe someone who has abandoned or turned against their friends, country, or cause.

• He was labeled a betrayer after he sold company secrets to a competitor.
• In times of war, a betrayer is despised the most.

Carries a negative connotation and is used to describe someone who changes allegiance, especially betraying a cause or group they previously supported.

• His colleagues considered him a turncoat after he joined the rival company.
• During the revolution, turncoats were severely punished.