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Showing results for "instructions"
Synonyms

instructions

British  
/ ɪnˈstrʌkʃənz /

plural noun

  1. directions, orders, or recommended rules for guidance, use, etc

  2. 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

"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

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.

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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:

It also suggests the search was conducted in a manner that didn’t follow the authorizing magistrate’s specific instructions, including that the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

When doctors reviewed translations with high quality scores, they also found small but frequent mistakes in medication instructions, as well as in warnings about when to urgently return to the ER.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

Alarms about rogue agents ignore the real risk: agents that follow their creators’ instructions to the letter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Instead, it interfered with how the gene's instructions were processed while still allowing some normal activity to continue.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Through the spirits, instructions were given to divide the party.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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