instructions
Britishplural noun
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directions, orders, or recommended rules for guidance, use, etc
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law the facts and details relating to a case given by a client to his solicitor or by a solicitor to a barrister with directions to conduct the case
to take instructions
Explanation
You know those days when you just can’t seem to remember how to do the simplest tasks? If only everything came with instructions: a guide to operating the toothpaste tube, or a manual showing you how to pour cereal. Instructions is related to the verb instruct, meaning “teach.” Instructions are sets of information that teach you how to do something or use something. The more we use technology to make our lives easier, the more we need to read instructions to help us learn how to use the technology. After all, you can’t let your robotic poodle-groomer loose on your poodle until you figure out how it works first.
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.
Nearby on a table were paper tags, pens and instructions, which included asking a friend “to do the same. Keep wishing.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
That will make it better at completing large, complex tasks with fewer instructions, said Dianne Penn, Anthropic’s head of product management, research and labs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
“To date, in every case, I have ignored these instructions or refuse them.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
It is used by a manager to get new instructions to his players, or to impact the momentum of the opposition.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Headmarveller MacDonald walked ahead to dole out instructions while Headmarveller Rivera moved on top of the Arcanum seal, orchestrating a pose.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
