instructor

American  

[in-struhk-ter] / ɪnˈstrʌk tər /

noun

instructors plural

1. a person who instructs; teacher.

   Synonyms:

   pedagogue, preceptor, schoolmaster, tutor

2. a teacher in a college or university who ranks below an assistant professor.

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instructor British  

/ ɪnˈstrʌktə, ɪnˈstrʌktrɪs /

noun

1. someone who instructs; teacher

2. a university teacher ranking below assistant professor

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• instructorship
  noun
• instructress
  noun
• self-instructor
  noun
• instructorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• instructors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of instructor

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin, equivalent to instruc-, variant stem of instruere ( see instruct) + -tor -tor

Compare meaning

How does instructor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• instructor vs. lecturer

Explanation

An instructor is a teacher. One can be an instructor of just about anything, but it usually applies to teaching hands-on skills, like a water-skiing instructor or the instructor of the knitting class held at the community center. When you instruct, or teach, other people how to do something, you are their instructor. At a college, you might hear some of the people who teach classes referred to as instructors and others as professors. An instructor might teach only part-time, or be a graduate student, or, for the moment at least, not be on the path to receiving the title of professor. Still, instructors are teachers: they have their own classes and students.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instructor instructors

Some professional programs such as nursing cap how many students can be supervised by one instructor, which means schools can’t easily jam-pack additional students into one class, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Try again,” my instructor said, after undoing my mess.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

In the classroom, trainees crowded around instructor Luo Duocheng as he demonstrated slicing a slab of beef, marinating it, and skewering the meat to form identical kebabs.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Information on its website tells prospective customers they would sit in the front of the aircraft with access to "dual flight controls under the guidance of your fully certified and highly skilled flight instructor".

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

When the instructor moves on to Lord Roiben of the Court of Termites, I lose interest.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

These include instructors who would normally be spending their days teaching the basics of how to handle firearms, pull over speeding motorists, collect evidence at a crime scene and interview victims and suspects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

In that case, the city issued 22 subpoenas to financial and social media companies seeking information regarding the two instructors and their associates, according to court documents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

A BBC investigation in December found some driving instructors were being offered kickbacks of up to £250 a month to sell their login details to touts.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

Local officials said the instructors had belonged to a private company that offered rope-jumping activities, though some local reports suggest they had belonged to informal groups of practitioners.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

And anyway, the swimming instructors who called themselves lifeguards sucked.

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Related Words

• adviser
• coach
• guide
• lecturer
• mentor
• professor
• teacher
• trainer
• tutor