The word "intel" is a shortened form of the word "intellectual." It refers to the knowledge, information, or understanding that a person has. It is often used to describe someone's mental capacity or ability to think and reason. Full definition
For instance, any experienced player in the start - up scene can tell you stories of VCs who have taken companies — in which they did not actually intend to invest — through the entire due - diligence process for purposes of gathering intel on one of the company's competitors. (inc.com)
Likewise bomb disposal is a hectic affair where you often have to sacrifice patience and gathering intel for simply bursting in and shooting everything. (wolfsgamingblog.com)
A rare exception is Hao (Shi Ke), the lawyer investigating the molestation — she isn't above slipping Mia 100 yuan for intel about the night in question, which is nearly ⅕ of what the girl makes in a month. (indiewire.com)