definitions

for-instance

[ fer-in-stuh ns ]
/ fərˈɪn stəns /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR for-instance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an instance or example: Give me a for-instance of what you mean.

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RELATED WORDS

case, pattern, symbol, object, illustration, part, lesson, precedent, explanation, interpretation, example, being, equally, like, prototype, copy, stereotype, specimen, citation, paragon

Nearby words

for two cents, for want of a nail the kingdom was lost, for what it's worth, for whom the bell tolls, for-, for-instance, for-profit, for., fora, forage, forage cap

Definition for for instance (2 of 2)

instance

[ in-stuh ns ]
/ ˈɪn stəns /

noun

verb (used with object), in·stanced, in·stanc·ing.

to cite as an instance or example.
to exemplify by an instance.

verb (used without object), in·stanced, in·stanc·ing.

to cite an instance.

Origin of instance

1300–50; Middle English < Latin instantia presence, urgency (Medieval Latin: case, example). See instant, -ance
Related formscoun·ter·in·stance, nounun·in·stanced, adjective

Synonym study

2. See case1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for for instance

instance

/ (ˈɪnstəns) /

noun

verb (tr)

to cite as an example

Word Origin for instance

C14 (in the sense: case, example): from Medieval Latin instantia example, (in the sense: urgency) from Latin: a being close upon, presence, from instāns pressing upon, urgent; see instant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for for instance

instance

n.

mid-14c., "urgency," from Old French instance "eagerness, anxiety, solicitation" (13c.), from Latin instantia "presence, effort intention; earnestness, urgency," literally "a standing near," from instans (see instant). In Scholastic logic, "a fact or example" (early 15c.), from Medieval Latin instantia, used to translate Greek enstasis. This led to use in phrase for instance "as an example" (1650s), and the noun phrase To give (someone) a for instance (1953, American English).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with for instance

instance

see under for example.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.