instance

American  

[in-stuhns] / ˈɪn stəns /

noun

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)

instanced, instancing

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)

instanced, instancing

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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Related Words

See case ¹.

Other Word Forms

• counterinstance noun
• uninstanced adjective

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”); instant, -ance

Example Sentences

A base in Libya, for instance, or the Red Sea would allow Russian vessels to sail in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean for longer periods than are now within their reach.

From The Wall Street Journal

Has she, for instance, spoken about needing money for other reasons — to send home to family or to take a trip home at Christmas that she cannot, perhaps, otherwise afford?

From MarketWatch

More than a third of the cases The Times analyzed ended in dismissals or acquittals, in some instances because the defendants were deported.

From Los Angeles Times

Hahn said that the ordinance is driven by repeated instances of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

A June 24 memo, for instance, states that “field offices no longer have the option to discretionarily release aliens.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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