instrument

[ in-struh-muhnt ]

/ ˈɪn strə mənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR instrument ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a mechanical tool or implement, especially one used for delicate or precision work: surgical instruments.

a contrivance or apparatus for producing musical sounds: a stringed instrument.

a means by which something is effected or done; agency: an instrument of government.

a device for measuring the present value of a quantity under observation.

a mechanical or electronic measuring device, especially one used in navigation: landing a plane by instruments.

a formal legal document, as a draft or bond: negotiable instruments.

a person used by another merely as a means to some private end; tool or dupe.

verb (used with object)

to equip with instruments, as a machine or manufacturing process: to instrument a space vehicle.

to arrange a composition for musical instruments; orchestrate.

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quick; agile; lively.

expressive of or characterized by sorrow.

having or characterized by persistent or earnest desire.

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Origin of instrument

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin instrūmentum equipment, equivalent to instrū-, stem of instruere “to equip” (see instruct) + -mentum-ment

synonym study for instrument

1. See tool.

OTHER WORDS FROM instrument

un·der·in·stru·ment, noun

Words nearby instrument

instruction, instructions, instructive, instructor, instructress, instrument, instrumental, instrumental conditioning, instrumentalism, instrumentalist, instrumentality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for instrument

It carries a host of scientific instruments to observe the sun and its surroundings.
Close-up of the sun reveals ‘campfires’|Lisa Grossman|August 28, 2020|Science News For Students
These are financial instruments that insurers and reinsurance companies use to hedge their own risk—and which specialized funds and hedge funds often invest in for their potential outsized returns.
Insurers are getting nervous as Hurricane Laura is set to make landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm|Jeremy Kahn|August 26, 2020|Fortune
Once you’ve taught 250 seventh graders to play instruments in unison, everything else is pretty straightforward.
Who is Dave Clark, the new chief of Amazon’s giant retail business?|Aaron Pressman|August 22, 2020|Fortune
So, no, I don’t have all the instruments to force companies to do so.
Is Economic Growth the Wrong Goal? (Ep. 429)|Stephen J. Dubner|August 13, 2020|Freakonomics

Major instruments use large, curved mirrors to capture the light raining down from the night sky.
Social Distancing From the Stars|Emily Levesque|August 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Law has been rebuilt in the last 50 years to be an instrument of control, not a framework for human responsibility.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the chord structure, for those of you who play an instrument, is unexpected and worth checking out.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, they might have this lawsuit to thank for putting an instrument in their hands in the first place.
‘No Stairway, Denied!’ Led Zeppelin Lawsuit Winds on Down the Road|Keith Phipps|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was the instrument God had chosen to introduce me to my spiritual path and guru.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More|Gary Wright|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today we know that the Big Bertha was an instrument not of “strikes” but war.
What Did You Do in the Targeted Action, Daddy?|John McWhorter|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe we'll have to relay him some instrument checks, to keep him busy.
Suzy|Watson Parker
This has now been rendered possible for the first time, by means of the instrument described in this chapter.
The Problems of Psychical Research|Hereward Carrington
Seizing the instrument, he clapped it to his lips, and blew a clarion call.
The Boy Scouts' First Camp Fire|Herbert Carter
Then he told her how to adjust her spark-gap and tune the instrument to any given wave-length.
The Young Wireless Operator--As a Fire Patrol|Lewis E. Theiss
An incision was made in the fleshy part of the nose, between the eyes, by a sharp-pointed knife or some other instrument.
The Arctic Whaleman|Lewis Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for instrument

instrument

noun (ˈɪnstrəmənt)

a mechanical implement or tool, esp one used for precision worksurgical instrument

music any of various contrivances or mechanisms that can be played to produce musical tones or sounds

an important factor or agency in somethingher evidence was an instrument in his arrest

informal a person used by another to gain an end; dupe; tool

a measuring device, such as a pressure gauge or ammeter

a device or system for use in navigation or control, esp of aircraft
(as modifier)instrument landing

a formal legal document

verb (ˈɪnstrəˌmɛnt) (tr)

another word for orchestrate (def. 1)

to equip with instruments

Word Origin for instrument

C13: from Latin instrūmentum tool, equipment, from instruere to erect, furnish; see instruct

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

Medical definitions for instrument

instrument

[ ĭn′strə-mənt ]

n.

A tool or implement, as for surgery.

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instrument