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.
Instructions to the jurors to ignore the crescendo of support for Depp outside the courtroom didn't matter, leading to a $15 million judgment in his favor.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2025
Her next role is starring in a one-woman play - Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon - based on the book of the same name.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2024
This was the 17th launch of the first stage booster, and SpaceX made a recovery landing downrange on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2024
Instructions on how to comply with F.A.A. rules are often drafted and distributed by airplane manufacturers, with input from airlines and the federal agency to ensure that they can be consistently followed by technicians.
From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2024
Dr. Ohari hands them a receipt and a pamphlet entitled Instructions for Wound Care.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
