notify

verb

no·​ti·​fy ˈnō-tə-ˌfī 

notified; notifying

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 

noun

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

Customers were notified of the changes in the company.

I was notified that I did not get the job.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another memo sent to Wolfe directed attorneys to notify leadership of any settlements or consent decrees, such as agreements to overhaul police agencies that the courts enforce, that were finalized by the Biden administration within the last 90 days. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025

Officials withheld the victims’ identities until relatives were notified. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office will release the man’s identity after it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified. —Jason Green, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025

Hoping to avoid a repeat, the city of Burleson has embarked upon a public information campaign urging residents to be vigilant for signs of egrets and to notify Burleson Animal Services if any are spotted. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing notify

• pre-notify

Kids Definition

notify

verb

no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī 

notified; notifying

: to give notice to : inform

notify the police

notifier

-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Medical Definition

notify

transitive verb

no·​ti·​fy ˈnōt-ə-ˌfī 

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