stool pigeon

noun

1

: a person acting as a decoy or informer

especially : a spy sent into a group to report (as to the police) on its activities

2

: a pigeon used as a decoy to draw others within a net

Synonyms

• betrayer
• canary [slang]
• deep throat
• fink
• informant
• informer
• nark [British]
• rat
• rat fink
• snitch
• snitcher
• squealer
• stoolie
• talebearer
• tattler
• tattletale
• telltale
• whistle-blower

Examples of stool pigeon in a Sentence

the FBI finally got a break when one of the mob boss's top henchmen turned stool pigeon

Recent Examples on the Web

They are barred from using certain language during debates including git, guttersnipe, swine and stool pigeon. —Max Colchester, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2019

Word History

Etymology

probably from the early practice of fastening the decoy bird to a stool

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stool pigeon

noun

: a person acting as a spy or informer for the police

Etymology

from stool pigeon "a pigeon tied to a stool and used as a decoy to draw other birds into a net"