instruct
Americanverb (used with object)
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to furnish with knowledge, especially by a systematic method; teach; train; educate.
- Synonyms:
- school, indoctrinate, discipline, drill, coach, tutor
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to furnish with orders or directions; direct; order; command.
The doctor instructed me to diet.
- Synonyms:
- prescribe
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to furnish with information; inform; apprise.
- Synonyms:
- enlighten
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Law. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration.
verb
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to direct to do something; order
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to teach (someone) how to do (something)
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to furnish with information; apprise
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law
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(esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information to
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to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person's behalf
to instruct counsel
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Synonym Usage
See teach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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instructednessnoun
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misinstructverb (used with object)
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overinstructverb (used with object)
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preinstructverb (used with object)
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reinstructverb (used with object)
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instructibleadjective
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quasi-instructedadjective
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self-instructedadjective
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self-instructingadjective
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uninstructibleadjective
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uninstructingadjective
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well-instructedadjective
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instructedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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instructsimple
-
instructssimple
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have instructedperfect
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has instructedperfect
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am instructingprogressive
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are instructingprogressive
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is instructingprogressive
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have been instructingperfect progressive
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has been instructingperfect progressive
Past
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instructedsimple
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had instructedperfect
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was instructingprogressive
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were instructingprogressive
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had been instructingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of instruct
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin instructus, past participle of instruere “to equip, train, set in order,” equivalent to in- “in” + struc- (variant stem of struere “to put together”) + -tus past participle suffix; see in- 2
Explanation
This website is designed to instruct visitors about the meaning of words and their correct usage. To instruct is to give instructions, to teach. Teachers are often called instructors because their job is to instruct, to give knowledge or instructions. The subtle difference between "teach" and instruct is that you can teach almost anything: concepts, ideas, theories or, say, history. When you instruct someone, you're giving them a set of tools or tasks to do something specific. That's why furniture, toys, and model rocket kits come with instructions: they instruct you how to assemble them.
Vocabulary lists containing instruct
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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!
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 3
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Words to Know and Academic Words, Unit 5
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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:
Wright used the doorbell camera's remote intercom function to instruct the group how to enter the house and they were able to pull her to safety.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Supreme Court disagreed, writing Monday that “no clearly established federal law required the trial court to instruct the jury” about that case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
It has also asked the court to instruct Canadian immigration authorities to allow Partey to submit a new visa application.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
They built an extremely popular AI coding assistant which allowed engineers to instruct the software in English that would subsequently run coding tasks autonomously.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Her disastrous birth experience, and her decertification, had been so sudden and startling that no one at the Birthing Unit had thought to supply her with pills or instruct her to take them.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
The memorandum instructs banks to file suspicious activity reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the U.S. government’s financial intelligence unit.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Their lawsuit also claims that when an account is shut down for dangerous behavior, OpenAI instructs the individual on how to resume usage, including tips on how to circumvent the 30-day suspension period.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Choreographer Madeline Hollander closes her red notebook and instructs the dancers to start from the beginning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Dr. Becky instructs listeners to take a symbolic action—no matter where you are, to take a step forward.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
I look to see that Dad has caved, and is by the curb trying to hail a taxi, while Mom instructs him that he needs to be more aggressive about it.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
A woman named Mary Dare instructed her mother to go in person to the Union general and plead on her behalf.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Twenty-six women were also instructed to consume all food within a period of less than nine hours each day.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
"You can clap now," a Downing Street official with a clipboard instructed the staff eagerly lining the halls of No 10 in the moments before the new prime minister walked in.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Pakistan instructed Ervin Graves to work on efforts "for the resumption of... appropriate high-level bilateral defence and security dialogue mechanisms".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Dress warmly,” Sydney instructed as she left the room.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
As the most recent due date approached this past January, Congress stepped in, instructing the agency to delay enforcement of the Food Traceability Rule until July 20, 2028.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
The lobbying contract dedicates a section to the minerals sector -- a global strategic priority for Trump's administration -- instructing the firm to "support efforts to identify opportunities for cooperation".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
County’s attorneys have repeatedly blocked the commission’s efforts at oversight, instructing the Sheriff’s Department not to hand over confidential documents sought by the commission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Judge Paul Ramsey summed up the case on Thursday morning before instructing the 12-person jury to begin their deliberations.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
I was always instructing her not to tell on me if I did something bad, and she never did.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
