instruct
Americanverb (used with object)
-
instructs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
instructed,
past participle, past
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instructing
present participle
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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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misinstructverb (used with object)
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overinstructverb (used with object)
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preinstructverb (used with object)
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reinstructverb (used with object)
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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
-
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
-
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
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Words to Know and Academic Words, Unit 5
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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.
See Examples For:
By creating a geofence, AV companies can instruct their cars to stay away from a particular geographic zone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
It is understood manager Thomas Tuchel is set to instruct his players to avoid jumping over the hoardings to ensure there is no repeat.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
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
“Dr. Kil did not instruct students to violate any campus policies or engage in any specific behavior,” the lawsuit states.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Finally she says, “Someone instruct Ms. Prior as to what the prefrontal cortex does.”
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
The result is a personalised anti-cancer jab which is specific to the patient's tumour and instructs the immune system to recognise and attack any tumour cells that remain.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The memorandum instructs banks to file suspicious activity reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the U.S. government’s financial intelligence unit.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
When Gustavo Dudamel instructs the Los Angeles Philharmonic to stand at a curtain call, the players stand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
The executive order instructs the Treasury Department to launch a new website, TrumpIRA.gov, by the beginning of 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
“When you do,” Caesar instructs, “put your hands inside the loop and hold the horn. It might save you.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Moderna was founded in 2010 on the premise that cells could be instructed to create their own medicine using mRNA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Administrators later warned teachers there were a “LOT of mistakes” on pages 19 through 36 and instructed students to tear the pages out of their planners before taking them home.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Some participants were instructed to meet that target using whole fruits and vegetables alone.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
At one point, Judge Friedrich instructed the US government to get hold of the original handwritten document and the carbon copy, only to be told the authorities in Tripoli couldn't find them.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Undoubtedly. Now, turn to that paper, and tell me whether it distinctly states that the prisoner expressly said that his legal advisers instructed him altogether to reserve his defence?”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
They then select mutations unique to the patient’s cancer to incorporate into an mRNA molecule, which provides the genetic code instructing cells to produce proteins with those mutations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It’s not necessarily easy for entire school districts to shift to a new standard, given that teachers have been instructing using these calculators for years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
However, it was forced to issue a formal warning to Israeli broadcaster Kan in the lead-up to the competition after its contestant released videos instructing fans to "vote 10 times for Israel".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Rather than directly instructing participants to sit in a particular way, the team altered the environment so that posture changed without the participants knowing why.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
The police have lit flares along the perimeter of the scene and are instructing cars in both directions to turn back, the road is closed.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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.
