instructor
Americannoun
-
instructors
plural
-
a person who instructs; teacher.
- Synonyms:
- pedagogue, preceptor, schoolmaster, tutor
-
a teacher in a college or university who ranks below an assistant professor.
noun
-
someone who instructs; teacher
-
a university teacher ranking below assistant professor
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of instructor
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin, equivalent to instruc-, variant stem of instruere ( see instruct) + -tor -tor
Compare meaning
How does instructor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An instructor is a teacher. One can be an instructor of just about anything, but it usually applies to teaching hands-on skills, like a water-skiing instructor or the instructor of the knitting class held at the community center. When you instruct, or teach, other people how to do something, you are their instructor. At a college, you might hear some of the people who teach classes referred to as instructors and others as professors. An instructor might teach only part-time, or be a graduate student, or, for the moment at least, not be on the path to receiving the title of professor. Still, instructors are teachers: they have their own classes and students.
Vocabulary lists containing instructor
Occupations
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -er, -or
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
He says he found a supportive community and, after studying hard, he now works as a local gym instructor.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Airdropping personnel with parachute systems is impractical because, unfortunately, the enemy's assets can neutralize them very rapidly," said 24-year-old instructor Axel.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
That changed when professional mahjong instructor Samantha Richman arrived at camp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Yoga and meditation instructor, Constance Hartwell, will lead the former; Sol & Sound, the latter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Katya, like Lilya, was a natural pilot, and like Lilya, she’d been a flight instructor before the war.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Army instructors say training in traditional skills has broader importance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
In their report, the staffers also noted that there have been few well-run studies assessing the safety and efficacy of peptides, which are essentially instructors, telling amino-acid chains how to fix or improve certain cells.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
In that case, the city issued 22 subpoenas to financial and social media companies seeking information regarding the two instructors and their associates, according to court documents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Three men have been arrested over the incident, in which instructors failed to attach a rope to her before helping her jump from a bridge in São Paulo state.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
He was a friend of our instructors and through an interpreter he told us a little about his life in the jungle.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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.
