instance

American  

[in-stuhns] / ˈɪn stəns /

noun

• instances
  plural

1. a case or occurrence of anything.

   fresh instances of oppression.

2. an example put forth in proof or illustration.

   to cite a few instances.

3. Also called instanced dungeon.  (in an online multiplayer video game) a zone, as a dungeon, to which access is limited to a player or group of players entering simultaneously and working together: each instance is one copy of the zone in which the quests, enemies, items, events, etc., are staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from other player characters in the larger online population of the game server.

4. Law. the institution and prosecution of a case.

5. Archaic. urgency in speech or action.

6. Obsolete. an impelling motive.

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verb (used with object)

• instances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• instanced,
  past participle,  past
• instancing
  present participle

1. to cite as an instance or example.

2. to exemplify by an instance.

3. (in an online multiplayer video game) to design (a zone) as a set of identical copies, staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from the larger population of the game server, thereby presenting key narrative elements or achievements in a controlled environment.

   The game developers instanced a winter wonderland with special quests for the holiday event.

verb (used without object)

• instances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• instanced,
  past participle,  past
• instancing
  present participle

1. to cite an instance.

idioms

1. at the instance of, at the urging or suggestion of.

   He applied for the assistantship at the instance of his professor.

2. for instance, as an example; for example.

   If you were to go to Italy, for instance, you would get a different perspective on our culture.

instance British  

/ ˈɪnstəns /

noun

1. a case or particular example

2. for or as an example

3. a specified stage in proceedings; step (in the phrases in the first, second, etc, instance )

4. urgent request or demand (esp in the phrase at the instance of )

5. logic

   1. an expression derived from another by instantiation

   2. See substitution

6. archaic motive or reason

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verb

1. to cite as an example

instance More Idioms  

1. see under for example.

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Synonym Usage

See case ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterinstance
  noun
• uninstanced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• instances
  plural

Participles

• instancing
  present
• instanced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• instance
  simple
• instances
  simple
• have instanced
  perfect
• has instanced
  perfect
• am instancing
  progressive
• are instancing
  progressive
• is instancing
  progressive
• have been instancing
  perfect progressive
• has been instancing
  perfect progressive

Past

• instanced
  simple
• had instanced
  perfect
• was instancing
  progressive
• were instancing
  progressive
• had been instancing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will instance
  simple
• will have instanced
  perfect
• will be instancing
  progressive
• will have been instancing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of instance

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English instaunce, from Middle French instance, from Medieval Latin īnstantia “case, example” ( Latin “presence, immediate applicability; earnestness, urgency”); see origin at instant, -ance

Explanation

An instance is a specific example or case of something. One instance of being chased by a growling dog can make a person spend his whole life being afraid of animals. It's common to find instance used in the expression "for instance," meaning "for example." Bright colors — for instance, pink, green, and blue — can cheer you up when you're feeling sad. Instance can also mean "occurrence." Several instances of cheating might be reported after a math test, for example. In the sixteenth century, the Medieval Latin word instantia meant "example to the contrary," leading to an early definition of instance as "single objection."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instance instances instanced instancing

For instance, exercise can improve sleep, mood and reduce stress levels.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Ideally, it’s an ongoing relationship with a doctor who can take the time to decode why, for instance, that pain in your toe might be a warning of a serious heart condition.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

For instance, one single-family home in Ladue, an affluent suburb of St. Louis, is currently listed for $6.1 million, and another custom home is listed for about $3.8 million.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Anyone who is concerned is being advised to contact their GP or out of hours service in the first instance.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

For instance, the Catholic youth groups were not allowed to wear uniforms, to take excursions into the countryside, or to print or distribute journals.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Using crowdsourcing techniques, VroniPlag Wiki in Germany and Dissernet in Russia have exposed numerous instances of plagiarism by public servants in their dissertations and academic publications.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

In the suit, the plaintiffs cite instances where there has been “consumer confusion.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Thursday’s share unlocking marks the second of several such instances that are part of SpaceX’s staggered lockup schedule.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

What are very real, in both shows, are the recollections of those who managed to stay alive and the instances of blind luck that made it possible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

I knew exact instances when he’d consulted his wife about military strategy.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

As such, players can expect to wait longer than normal to log into game servers, visit new Endwalker specific areas, and experience instanced content-like duties.

From The Verge ● Nov. 30, 2021

The FX we’d used earlier were now composed of millions of these instanced pieces, and she was having a hard time loading them all because it took up so much memory.

From The Verge ● Jan. 30, 2019

World and all the other potential character builds and instanced stories in the offing.

From Time ● Sep. 11, 2012

In his speech he instanced a curious specimen of the manner in which the act is sometimes evaded.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 1. No 1, June 1850 by Various

The next day I instanced a rather apt example.

From Jungle Peace by William Beebe

What arguments in regard to a nation of forty-seven millions of people can be bolstered up by instancing the imperfect acquaintance of a Japanese pastry-cook with the English language?

From The Empire of the East by H. B. (Helen Barrett) Montgomery

The one produced a hundred instances of the enlarging and quickening of men’s minds, the other replied by instancing vulgarities, distortions, wide acceptance of nonsense.

From Boon, The Mind of the Race, The Wild Asses of the Devil, and The Last Trump; Being a First Selection from the Literary Remains of George Boon, Appropriate to the Times by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

The Vanderpools were sure of this and the Englishman, instancing India, became quite eloquent.

From The Quest of the Silver Fleece A Novel by W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt) Du Bois

This statement is truer than his later remark21 that fairies and other superhuman creations of fancy are substituted for animals, instancing our theme as such a case.

From The Grateful Dead The History of a Folk Story by Gordon Hall Gerould

The smile, and this instancing by the girl-mother of her own tiny flesh and blood affected me strangely; they spoke of so tranquil a despair.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 18 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson

Related Words

• detail
• example
• item
• occasion
• occurrence
• particular
• precedent
• proof
• reason