notify

1 of 2

verb

no·​ti·​fy ˈnō-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
Synonyms of notifynext

transitive verb

1
: to give formal notice to
notify a family of the death of a relation
She notified the police about the accident.
2
: to give notice of or report the occurrence of
He notified his intention to sue.
She notified my arrival to the governor.
3
obsolete : to point out
notifier
ˈnō-tə-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce notify (audio)
noun

notifier

2 of 2

noun

no·​ti·​fier ˈnōtəˌfī(ə)r How to pronounce notifier (audio)
-ōtə-, 
-īə
plural -s
: one that notifies
Choose the Right Synonym for notify

inform, acquaint, apprise, notify mean to make one aware of something.

inform implies the imparting of knowledge especially of facts or occurrences.

informed us of the crisis

acquaint lays stress on introducing to or familiarizing with.

acquaint yourself with the keyboard

apprise implies communicating something of special interest or importance.

keep us apprised of the situation

notify implies sending notice of something requiring attention or demanding action.

notified the witness when to appear

Examples of notify in a Sentence

Verb Customers were notified of the changes in the company. I was notified that I did not get the job.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Waymo stopped the car in a parking lot and notified the police, who detained the teens. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 Those interested can fill out this form to be notified when time slots become available. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026 Those notified must retake the test within 30 days or risk losing their licenses. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 Voters whose ballots have been set aside are notified by their county election officials, and campaigns often work to cure ballots in close races. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for notify

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English notifien, from Anglo-French notifier to make known, from Late Latin notificare, from Latin notus known

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of notify was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing notify

Rhymes for notify

See All Rhymes for notify

Browse Nearby Words

notifier
notify
no-till
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Notify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notify. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

notify

verb
no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
: to give notice to : inform
notify the police
notifier
-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce notify (audio)
noun

Medical Definition

notify

transitive verb
no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce notify (audio)
notified; notifying
1
British : to report the occurrence of (a case of communicable disease) or the occurrence of communicable disease in (an individual)
all cases of disease should be notified by the treating consultant—Practitioner
2
: to give formal notice to
the Broward County Public Health Unit … was notified of three children … hospitalized with encephalitis attributed to cat scratch disease—The Journal of the American Medical Association

More from Merriam-Webster on notify

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for notify

Nglish: Translation of notify for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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