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

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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

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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

Johnson, for instance, says the firm’s research with the the Immersive Experience Institute has shown a hunger in younger generations to embrace spaces such as the Rainforest Cafe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Meta, for instance, is projected to see more than 500% growth in earnings.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 18, 2026

So when, for instance, a federal agency like the Department of Veterans Affairs defines a medical term in determining which veterans get benefits, a court has limited discretion to second-guess that expert analysis.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026

She might immediately express enthusiasm for a concept from a client that still requires further research, for instance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

She told them, for instance, that even though she was responsible for evaluating subprime mortgage bonds, she wasn’t allowed by her bosses simply to downgrade the ones she thought deserved to be downgraded.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

In most instances, judges have said school officials may use “race-neutral” policies to achieve racial diversity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

There are only seven previous instances of a team scoring 23 or more goals after seven games of a Premier League season.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Of the 55 instances that researchers examined in the 2017 study, seven athletes did not return to their sport.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

The combinations produced more than 100 instances in which a sweetener's effect on bacterial growth changed in the presence of another substance.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Then the occultatio: “I pass over older instances, such as how...”

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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

She felt as the dowager must have felt when she was trying to dissuade Tony from marrying an actress; she instanced every disadvantage she could think of for the filly; but Tony was obstinate.

From The Vanity Girl by Compton MacKenzie

He instanced an episcopal dinner-party that he had attended, and a church dignitary's "three sweetly pretty daughters," who had come in the evening, and with whom he had sung duets.

From Thirty Years in Australia by Ada Cambridge

It will suffice to adduce a proof of their moderation by instancing one matter.

From The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Titus Livius

Mencius, instancing the practice of the ancient kings Wan and Woo under similar circumstances, replies that, unless the voice of the people invites the invader to take possession, he is not justified in so doing.

From Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh The History of the Ti-Ping Revolution (Volume I) by Augustus F. Lindley

Communication is no longer by words, but by the instancing of whole 85 biographies, epics, systems of philosophy, and epochs of history, in bulk.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume 9 by Robert Louis Stevenson

We need not be afraid of instancing in the most favourable.

From Four Early Pamphlets by William Godwin

Communication is no longer by words, but by the instancing of whole biographies, epics, systems of philosophy, and epochs of history, in bulk. 

From Memories and Portraits by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Related Words

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

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