Notify
/ˈnəʊtɪfaɪ/
Definitions
To inform someone formally or officially about something.
/ˈnəʊtɪfaɪ/
To inform someone of something; to tell.
Please notify the authorities if you see any suspicious activity.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're sending a text to your friend. To 'notify' someone is like sending them a message to let them know something important, like when the pizza is ready! It's telling someone something.
👶 For kids: To tell someone something important.
More Examples
The airline will notify passengers of any flight delays.
I'll notify my boss of my absence tomorrow.
How It's Used
"I will notify you of any changes to the schedule."
"The company is required to notify its clients of the data breach."
"The doctor will notify the family of the test results."
Idioms & expressions
Notify and take down
A term typically used by the content moderators of social media platforms. Used for flagging and subsequently deleting content that violates the platform's rules. In this context, the 'notification' is the flagging process, and the 'take down' refers to the removal of the offending content.
"The team must notify and take down any content that violates the Terms of Service"
From Late Middle English *notifien*, from Old French *notifier* (13th century), from Latin *notificare* 'to make known', from *notus* 'known' + *facere* 'to make'.
The word 'notify' has been used since the 14th century, initially in legal and official contexts, and gradually spread to more general communication.
Memory tip
Think of 'note' + 'ify' - making a note to inform.
Word Origin
"To make known"