instruct
Americanverb (used with object)
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to furnish with knowledge, especially by a systematic method; teach; train; educate.
- Synonyms:
- school, indoctrinate, discipline, drill, coach, tutor
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to furnish with orders or directions; direct; order; command.
The doctor instructed me to diet.
- Synonyms:
- prescribe
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to furnish with information; inform; apprise.
- Synonyms:
- enlighten
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Law. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration.
verb
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to direct to do something; order
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to teach (someone) how to do (something)
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to furnish with information; apprise
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law
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(esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information to
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to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person's behalf
to instruct counsel
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Synonym Usage
See teach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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instructednessnoun
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instructibleadjective
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quasi-instructedadjective
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self-instructedadjective
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self-instructingadjective
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uninstructibleadjective
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uninstructingadjective
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well-instructedadjective
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instructedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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instructsimple
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instructssimple
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have instructedperfect
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has instructedperfect
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am instructingprogressive
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are instructingprogressive
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is instructingprogressive
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have been instructingperfect progressive
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has been instructingperfect progressive
Past
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instructedsimple
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had instructedperfect
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was instructingprogressive
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were instructingprogressive
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had been instructingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of instruct
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin instructus, past participle of instruere “to equip, train, set in order,” equivalent to in- “in” + struc- (variant stem of struere “to put together”) + -tus past participle suffix; see in- 2
Explanation
This website is designed to instruct visitors about the meaning of words and their correct usage. To instruct is to give instructions, to teach. Teachers are often called instructors because their job is to instruct, to give knowledge or instructions. The subtle difference between "teach" and instruct is that you can teach almost anything: concepts, ideas, theories or, say, history. When you instruct someone, you're giving them a set of tools or tasks to do something specific. That's why furniture, toys, and model rocket kits come with instructions: they instruct you how to assemble them.
Vocabulary lists containing instruct
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words to Know and Academic Words, Unit 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wright used the doorbell camera's remote intercom function to instruct the group how to enter the house and they were able to pull her to safety.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
The San Francisco company, founded in 2022, enables engineers to instruct software in English to run coding tasks autonomously.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
It has also asked the court to instruct Canadian immigration authorities to allow Partey to submit a new visa application.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
They built an extremely popular AI coding assistant which allowed engineers to instruct the software in English that would subsequently run coding tasks autonomously.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
The first thing he does is instruct Soldier Jackson, his second in command, to set up a two-person, round-the-clock guard on Peeta.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
