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Synonyms

instructor

American  
[in-struhk-ter] / ɪnˈstrʌk tər /

noun

instructors plural
  1. a person who instructs; teacher.

    Synonyms:
    pedagogue, preceptor, schoolmaster, tutor
  2. a teacher in a college or university who ranks below an assistant professor.


instructor British  
/ ɪnˈstrʌktə, ɪnˈstrʌktrɪs /

noun

  1. someone who instructs; teacher

  2. a university teacher ranking below assistant professor

"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

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

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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.

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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.

An instructor from a shooting range where the boy practised was also found guilty of giving false evidence.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

Air Force colonel with more than 27 years of experience as an instructor pilot, fighter pilot, and test pilot.

From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026

“Why not let them get hands-on experience? Why just have them sit and watch?” said Rory Johnson, the child development instructor at the adult school.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Lisa Baranik, who researches chronic pain, says she used to dump her knowledge on people, once even scaring off a yoga instructor by giving unsolicited advice on back pain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

When she reached 18, it was a commercial license; two years later, she also had a flight instructor rating and an instrument rating.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

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