instruct
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to furnish with knowledge, especially by a systematic method; teach; train; educate.
- Synonyms:
- school , indoctrinate , discipline , drill , coach , tutor
-
to furnish with orders or directions; direct; order; command.
The doctor instructed me to diet.
- Synonyms:
- prescribe
-
to furnish with information; inform; apprise.
- Synonyms:
- enlighten
-
Law. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration.
verb
-
to direct to do something; order
-
to teach (someone) how to do (something)
-
to furnish with information; apprise
-
law
-
(esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information to
-
to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person's behalf
to instruct counsel
-
Related Words
See teach.
Other Word Forms
- instructedly adverb
- instructedness noun
- instructible adjective
- misinstruct verb (used with object)
- overinstruct verb (used with object)
- preinstruct verb (used with object)
- quasi-instructed adjective
- reinstruct verb (used with object)
- self-instructed adjective
- self-instructing adjective
- uninstructible adjective
- uninstructing adjective
- well-instructed adjective
Etymology
Origin of instruct
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin instructus, past participle of instruere “to equip, train, set in order,” equivalent to in- “in” + struc- (variant stem of struere “to put together”) + -tus past participle suffix; in- 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A "democratic whip" system will allow the CEC to instruct MPs to vote in line with party policy on crucial issues, though local branches will decide any sanctions for breaking the whip.
From BBC
Elsewhere, middle-class men, many of whom had rarely set foot inside a kitchen, hold impromptu classes where they instruct volunteers on boiling and cooking salt.
From BBC
Airbus had instructed its clients Friday to take "immediate precautionary action" after a technical malfunction on board a JetBlue flight in October exposed that intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to the flight controls.
From Barron's
He instructed Harnett to select from among Abbe’s own possessions for the still life, and Harnett chose objects that reveal the comfortable, cultured aspects of his client’s life.
A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee said its subpoena instructs the Justice Department to redact victims’ information.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
