instruct
Americanverb (used with object)
-
instructs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
instructed,
past participle, past
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instructing
present participle
-
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
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to furnish with information; inform; apprise.
- Synonyms:
- enlighten
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Law. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration.
verb
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to direct to do something; order
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to teach (someone) how to do (something)
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to furnish with information; apprise
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law
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(esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information to
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to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person's behalf
to instruct counsel
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Synonym Usage
See teach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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instructednessnoun
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misinstructverb (used with object)
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overinstructverb (used with object)
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preinstructverb (used with object)
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reinstructverb (used with object)
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instructibleadjective
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quasi-instructedadjective
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self-instructedadjective
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self-instructingadjective
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uninstructibleadjective
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uninstructingadjective
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well-instructedadjective
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instructedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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instructsimple
-
instructssimple
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have instructedperfect
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has instructedperfect
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am instructingprogressive
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are instructingprogressive
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is instructingprogressive
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have been instructingperfect progressive
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has been instructingperfect progressive
Past
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instructedsimple
-
had instructedperfect
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was instructingprogressive
-
were instructingprogressive
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had been instructingperfect progressive
Future
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; see in- 2
Explanation
This website is designed to instruct visitors about the meaning of words and their correct usage. To instruct is to give instructions, to teach. Teachers are often called instructors because their job is to instruct, to give knowledge or instructions. The subtle difference between "teach" and instruct is that you can teach almost anything: concepts, ideas, theories or, say, history. When you instruct someone, you're giving them a set of tools or tasks to do something specific. That's why furniture, toys, and model rocket kits come with instructions: they instruct you how to assemble them.
Vocabulary lists containing instruct
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 3
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Words to Know and Academic Words, Unit 5
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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.
See Examples For:
The report indicates that PM Takaichi is likely to instruct the Liberal Democratic Party to begin internal procedures, possibly as early as Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
It added that government agencies in the threatened coastal areas should instruct populations at risk, and advised people located in those areas to "stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It is understood manager Thomas Tuchel is set to instruct his players to avoid jumping over the hoardings to ensure there is no repeat.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
They built an extremely popular AI coding assistant which allowed engineers to instruct the software in English that would subsequently run coding tasks autonomously.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
It doesn’t have the structural elegance of the work of later handbooks, and it’s written to instruct rather than to impress.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Google's statement said the company prevents "image creation on harmful topics" and its AI policy instructs users against "misinformation, misrepresentation or misleading activities."
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The memorandum instructs banks to file suspicious activity reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the U.S. government’s financial intelligence unit.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
The state even instructs county officials to accept sample ballots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Choreographer Madeline Hollander closes her red notebook and instructs the dancers to start from the beginning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
I look to see that Dad has caved, and is by the curb trying to hail a taxi, while Mom instructs him that he needs to be more aggressive about it.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
According to his lawyers, Tan "repeatedly instructed recruits and his team not to bring or disclose former employers' confidential information."
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
He then instructed me to pull back into the driveway and patched the tire for me on the spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Viewers are then instructed to roast the fish at 400 degrees for eight minutes.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
He instructed each student to decide on what questions the examination should include—and then respond to them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Kerling had instructed Haupt not to buy a car, but Haupt wanted one.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Rather than directly instructing participants to sit in a particular way, the team altered the environment so that posture changed without the participants knowing why.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
The lobbying contract dedicates a section to the minerals sector -- a global strategic priority for Trump's administration -- instructing the firm to "support efforts to identify opportunities for cooperation".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
A better lede, Tom was instructing me, would have read something like this: “The White House claimed today that the sky was green, even though in fact it was clearly blue.”
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Which is exactly why Caligiuri is instructing youth players on a field so small cars zoom past without even knowing it’s there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Mr. Brademas is already instructing the secretary to page Pam out of class.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
