instruct

American  

[in-struhkt] / ɪnˈstrʌkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with knowledge, especially by a systematic method; teach; train; educate.

   Synonyms:

   school, indoctrinate, discipline, drill, coach, tutor

2. to furnish with orders or directions; direct; order; command.

   The doctor instructed me to diet.

   Synonyms:

   prescribe

3. to furnish with information; inform; apprise.

   Synonyms:

   enlighten

4. Law. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration.

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instruct British  

/ ɪnˈstrʌkt /

verb

1. to direct to do something; order

2. to teach (someone) how to do (something)

3. to furnish with information; apprise

4. law

   1. (esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information to

   2. to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person's behalf

      to instruct counsel

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Related Words

See teach.

Other Word Forms

• instructedly
  adverb
• instructedness
  noun
• instructible
  adjective
• misinstruct
  verb (used with object)
• overinstruct
  verb (used with object)
• preinstruct
  verb (used with object)
• quasi-instructed
  adjective
• reinstruct
  verb (used with object)
• self-instructed
  adjective
• self-instructing
  adjective
• uninstructible
  adjective
• uninstructing
  adjective
• well-instructed
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

A golf academy on-site emphasizes positive experiences as coaches instruct children 3 and up.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

While weighing up whether to instruct Kavanagh to take a trip to the sidelines, England also looked at potential fouls by Trossard on Pablo and Declan Rice on Crysencio Summerville.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

Families described how they had to instruct solicitors, threaten court action and, as in Jacqueline's case, hire debt collectors to recoup money owed to them.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Another appears to instruct Claude Code in some cases to go “undercover” and not reveal that it is an AI when publishing code to platforms like GitHub.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Design an appropriate program which models the supermarket situation with its various constraints and instruct the computer to run through the program a few million times to see how often different outcomes result.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• advise
• brief
• discipline
• disclose
• educate
• guide
• notify
• tell
• train
• tutor