Word
intel
Phoneticsin·tel
/ˌɪnˈtɛɫ/
Definition
n. secret or useful information that is collected about a person, group, or country.
n. information of military, political, or strategic value, often gathered through surveillance or undercover operations.
Examples
“The team gathered some useful intel on the rival company.”
“The scouts returned to the base with fresh intel regarding the enemy's movement along the border.”
“Despite having high-quality intel from multiple sources, the command center hesitated to act until they could confirm the target's exact coordinates.”
Examples
simple
“The team gathered some useful intel on the rival company.”
contextual
“The scouts returned to the base with fresh intel regarding the enemy's movement along the border.”
complex
“Despite having high-quality intel from multiple sources, the command center hesitated to act until they could confirm the target's exact coordinates.”
Usage
Uncountable; it does not take a plural form or an indefinite article.
Teaching tip
While it originated in military contexts, it is now very common in business and sports to mean 'competitive information about the competition'.
Etymology
Clipping of intelligence.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/intel