When you report somebody to the secret police or to the tax office you inform on them, right?
How about "denounce" in the same meaning?
I have found this
" Denounce can carry political connotations (like deviation or comrade, say). It is not simply to condemn, it is to name names, especially in a totalitarian society. Tax evaders don't get denounced, kulaks and counterrevolutionaries do; and not to the police, but to the Cheka or the Stasi "
What are the collocations of "denounce" including the victim and the wrong deed?
Top answer
You have the right idea. I would add that 'denounce' suggests an act that is done publicly rather than secretly. eg Tom denounced Mary to the Cheka.
— Clive
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