1
as in to teach
to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field
spent his military career instructing young pilots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to inform
to give information to
instructed everyone in the use of the new telephone system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to tell
to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority
the proctors instructed everyone to put their pencils down and hand in their tests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instruct
By running the music at length, though, and with only the gentlest of winks, Gomes all but instructs us to surrender to the exuberant earnestness and grandeur of the moment.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
That compactness carries over to their out-of-possession structure too, except here Nuno Espirito Santo generally instructs his front four to push high, apply pressure and block passing lanes, while the midfield stays deeper to provide cover.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Art for tweens: Rancho Bernardo High School Art for All Club members will instruct youths ages 8 to 12 how to paint plastic eggs at noon Saturday, April 5 in the Rancho Bernardo Library, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive.
—Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
ByteDance originally faced a Jan. 19 deadline to sell TikTok, but Trump signed an executive order instructing the attorney general to not enforce the law, granting the company 75 more days to unload the U.S. portion of its business.
—Cj Haddad, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instruct
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
That compactness carries over to their out-of-possession structure too, except here Nuno Espirito Santo generally instructs his front four to push high, apply pressure and block passing lanes, while the midfield stays deeper to provide cover.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Art for tweens: Rancho Bernardo High School Art for All Club members will instruct youths ages 8 to 12 how to paint plastic eggs at noon Saturday, April 5 in the Rancho Bernardo Library, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive.
—Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
ByteDance originally faced a Jan. 19 deadline to sell TikTok, but Trump signed an executive order instructing the attorney general to not enforce the law, granting the company 75 more days to unload the U.S. portion of its business.
—Cj Haddad, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instruct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instruct
Verb
-
Serena Williams is teaching her daughter how to celebrate her wins.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
There are better ways to teach puppies how to behave, and one of them is rewarding good behavior rather than instilling fear.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station watch commander informed the Times no crime had taken place at the residence.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Giamatti plays Phillip, living alone in a Cape Cod estate inherited from his parents when he’s interrupted by a phone call informing him of the death of an old girlfriend Carol.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Dougherty studies the impact of exercise on dementia risk, and told Health that losing weight can be one way to lower the risk of cognitive issues.—
Kristen Fischer,
Health,
9 Apr. 2025
-
At the time, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told PEOPLE that officers reported to an incident in the Encino area, where a source confirmed Kyle owned a home Kim had been staying in.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Don't show up and ask someone there to educate you.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The Charlotte Observer spoke to Chris Hayes, an extension associate of structural pest management at NC State University who specializes educating the pest management industry on critter habits, to find out.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
That likely will not be received well by China, which advised the Trump administration to cancel all China tariffs Wednesday, NPR reported.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The acquisition, advised by Rothschild & Co, is expected to be completed before the end of the month.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Robert King, 35, who was charged with transmitting interstate threats in federal court on Monday, was ordered to stay in detention by U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Toliver after a hearing in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon, Fox News confirmed.—
Elizabeth Pritchett,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The shift comes after reports that the cuts were ordered by Jeremy Lewin, a close ally of Elon Musk, who now oversees USAID under Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Craig Carton, Danny Parkins, and Mark Schlereth ask whether this was the worst trade in NFL and major sports history.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The actor adds that he was once asked if a company could use his voice and declined.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Experts say Ticketmaster commands more than a 70% market share of primary ticket services for major U.S. concert venues.—
Steve Holland,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Many of the pro-Trump personalities who command big online audiences with conservative opinion shows don’t live in Washington, DC, and have little desire to drop in for press briefings.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instruct. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share