instant
an infinitesimal or very short space of time; a moment: They arrived not an instant too soon.
the point of time now present or present with reference to some action or event.
a particular moment: at the instant of contact.
a food or beverage, especially coffee, specially processed for quick preparation.
Older Use. the present or current month.
succeeding without any interval of time; prompt; immediate: instant relief from a headache.
pressing or urgent: instant need.
noting a food or beverage requiring a minimal amount of time and effort to prepare, as by heating or the addition of milk or water, before being served or used: instant coffee; instant pudding.
occurring, done, or prepared with a minimal amount of time and effort; produced rapidly and with little preparation: an instant book; instant answers; instant history.
designed to act or produce results quickly or immediately: an instant lottery.
present; current: the instant case before the court.
Origin of instant
1synonym study For instant
Other words for instant
Words Nearby instant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use instant in a sentence
Brady and some Buccaneers players signaled touchdown, and Arians tried an instant-replay challenge that failed.
Buccaneers defeat Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, 31-9, as Tom Brady claims his seventh championship | Mark Maske | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostStuffed with responsibly sourced 650-fill down, it’s super cozy and provides instant warmth when it’s five degrees on the side of a mountain.
They will also increasingly expect relevant experiences to modulate in real-time, with consumers receiving almost instant gratification for their data sharing.
Leveraging customer data and AI to drive ecommerce growth in 2021 | Tracey Ryan O’Connor | February 1, 2021 | Search Engine WatchThey can get instant answers and know precisely what their students understood and what they did not understand.
What you need to know about standardized testing | Valerie Strauss | February 1, 2021 | Washington PostWhen the NCAA started using a 3-point line in the 1986-87 season, it was an instant hit.
Did Moving The Arc Bring The 3-Pointer To A Breaking Point? | Jake Lourim | February 1, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
Add to that the DISH Anywhere app, and you have instant access to the program guide and the ability to record shows on the go.
But in the next instant, Peters is stepping back to the table and snatching up the knife.
Having just crossed the country in coach, I needed instant spiritual repair.
The problem starts in that instant of electric mistrust when the cop reaches for his gun, or employs a homicidal chokehold.
The instant you are deemed a candidate for arrest, you become not so much a person as a “perp.”
‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture | Michael Daly | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut at the instant I caught a sight of my counterfeit presentment in a shop window, and veiled my haughty crest.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordHow is it that one instant of time should work those effects in the human mind which are so lasting in their results!
Wharton and Louis had withdrawn their hands at the same instant they caught his eye; and the Duke turned into the circle.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterBlanche stood an instant looking into the lighted room and hesitating—flushed a little, smiling, extremely pretty.
Confidence | Henry JamesShe saw his back for an instant against the pale gloom of the garden, in which vapour was curling.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
British Dictionary definitions for instant
/ (ˈɪnstənt) /
a very brief time; moment
a particular moment or point in time: at the same instant
on the instant immediately; without delay
immediate; instantaneous
(esp of foods) prepared or designed for preparation with very little time and effort: instant coffee
a poetic word for instantly
Origin of instant
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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