instruction

[in-struhk-shuhn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR instruction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or practice of instructing or teaching; education.

knowledge or information imparted.

an item of such knowledge or information.

Usually instructions. orders or directions: The instructions are on the back of the box.

the act of furnishing with authoritative directions.

Computers. a command given to a computer to carry out a particular operation.

Origin of instruction

1375–1425; late Middle English instruccio(u)n < Latin instructiōn- (stem of instructiō). See instruct, -ion

Related formsin·struc·tion·al, adjectivemis·in·struc·tion, nounnon·in·struc·tion·al, adjectivenon·in·struc·tion·al·ly, adverbo·ver·in·struc·tion, nounpre·in·struc·tion, nounre·in·struc·tion, nounself-in·struc·tion, noun

Synonyms for instruction

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR instruction ON THESAURUS.COM

1. tutoring, coaching; training, drill, exercise; indoctrination; schooling. 5. command, mandate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for instruction

discipline, information, direction, guidance, training, schooling, preparation, teaching, lesson, directive, advice, plan, mandate, order, ruling, tuition, enlightenment, tutelage, edification, coaching

Examples from the Web for instruction

Contemporary Examples of instruction

Fridays there is ethics and law of war training and instruction.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’
Nancy A. Youssef
January 6, 2015
I was only a little freaked out by the morning's instruction.
Knowing Where the Bodies Are Buried: An Excerpt From 'Lives in Ruins'
Marilyn Johnson
November 14, 2014
There was no instruction, no direction—there was an overwhelming stampede and hysteria.
I Survived a Deadly Shipwreck: Costa Concordia Passengers Tell Their Stories
Barbie Latza Nadeau
May 19, 2014
Instruction in how to deliver bad news to patients and support them afterward was very much part of her education.
How One Doctor Mastered the Art of Delivering Life-Changing Diagnoses
Russell Saunders
March 22, 2014
The mayor of Nice reportedly vowed to “bring them to heel” and to give his “instruction manual” to other mayors.
Roma Immigrants Have Set France on Edge
Christopher Dickey, Alice Guilhamon
October 4, 2013

Historical Examples of instruction

Pictures also are occasionally exhibited for his instruction.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
Catechization is not a method of instruction by means of questions and answers.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
What is to be said about the importance of this instruction?
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
Linda gave her a few words of instruction concerning the yucca.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
The memorial of this excellent woman is short, but replete with instruction.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox

British Dictionary definitions for instruction

instruction

noun

a direction; order

the process or act of imparting knowledge; teaching; education

computing a part of a program consisting of a coded command to the computer to perform a specified function

Derived Formsinstructional, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for instruction

c.1400, instruccioun, "action or process of teaching," from Old French instruccion (14c.), from Latin instructionem (nominative instructio) "building, arrangement, teaching," from past participle stem of instruere "arrange, inform, teach," from in- "on" (see in- (2)) + struere "to pile, build" (see structure (n.)). Meaning "an authoritative direction telling someone what to do; a document giving such directions," is early 15c. Related: Instructions.

instruction in Science

instruction

[ĭn-strŭk′shən]

A sequence of bits that tells a computer's central processing unit to perform a particular operation. An instruction can also contain data to be used in the operation.