1
as in certificate
a written or printed paper giving information about or proof of something
a valid will is a legal instrument
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2
as in tool
an article intended for use in work
always choose the right instrument for any woodworking job
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3
as in instrumentality
something used to achieve an end
he sees scouting as an instrument for building character in young people
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4
as in pawn
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another
the claim that the scientists are mere instruments of the tobacco companies, who pay them to produce findings that are highly suspect
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instrument
And when detecting the artist approaching flow, the device would emit a subtle cue — a slight change in the sound of their instrument or the lighting — to give the brain a subconscious boost and thereby accelerate and enhance one’s immersion into flow.
—
Brandon Sneed, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
That means there's no motor or backup power for the control and motion systems for the foils, keel and rudder, or even the on-board computers and instruments.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 5 July 2025
Folk ensembles typically entail a mix of instruments, such as the guitarrón, the five-stringed vihuela, the harp and the trumpet.
—Michelle Mehrtens, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2025
The performances will feature four principal musicians (the best at their instrument), a conductor and a composer, who are all Black.
—Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for instrument
Brandon Sneed, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
That means there's no motor or backup power for the control and motion systems for the foils, keel and rudder, or even the on-board computers and instruments.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 5 July 2025
Folk ensembles typically entail a mix of instruments, such as the guitarrón, the five-stringed vihuela, the harp and the trumpet.
—Michelle Mehrtens, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2025
The performances will feature four principal musicians (the best at their instrument), a conductor and a composer, who are all Black.
—Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for instrument
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrument
Noun
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Each of these courses and certificates, when completed and added to your resume/LinkedIn profile, has the potential to lead you to making $100,000 in income.—
Rachel Wells,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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The suspects allegedly submitted thousands of fraudulent genealogical certificates, some of which bore the names of popular singers like Shakira and J Balvin, and charged clients between €6,000 and €8,000 ($6,000 and $9,400) for citizenship applications.—
Orge Castellano,
Sun Sentinel,
7 July 2025
Noun
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And Marcus Wheatland, known as the doctor of the swells, was a medical practitioner and a pioneer of X-rays as a diagnostic tool.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
8 July 2025
-
The self-portrait, traditionally a tool of self-fashioning, is transformed into a space of reclamation.—
Alessia Glaviano,
Vogue,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Holding the weight of cotton’s influence on the world, and thus the instrumentality of Black labor, is painful, yet necessary work.—
Cierra Black,
Essence,
9 July 2025
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Amtrak is also not considered a department, agency or instrumentality of the United States Government and its overseeing regulatory body, the OIG, remains open during shutdowns as well.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA TODAY,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The guitar would later turn up in a Las Vegas pawn shop.—
Melonee Hurt,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
-
Anthony-Brown was fortunate to secure a lease in one of the neighborhood's most architecturally significant landmarks, the art deco-style Paramount Square Building, which opened in 1931 but has been vacant since its last tenant, a pawn shop, shuttered in 2005.—
Keith Pandolfi,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Noun
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The upcoming launch will be the first operational flight of ULA's new rocket with a pair of US military payloads, following two certification flights in 2024.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 July 2025
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Casey Blaine, the company's senior regulatory counsel, set up a phone call earlier this week with an ADOT employee to discuss the certification process.—
Sasha Hupka,
AZCentral.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
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As the company has already done for decades, Apple would leave the messy internet mostly to others and focus instead on the device itself.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
14 July 2025
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The shoes-off policy began in 2006 after an incident in 2001, when Richard Reid attempted to detonate an explosive device built into his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Trump has singled out electric vehicle policies specifically and made several other changes in that sector, including barring California from implementing a ban on the sale of gasoline vehicles and stricter vehicle emissions standards.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
13 July 2025
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Broken down vehicle on eastbound I-35 in Overland Park There is a broken down vehicle on I-35 between US-69/Exit 225 and 75th Street/Exit 227.—
Kansas City Star Bot
Updated July 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Ian Pulver, Miller’s agent, credited Drury for how the GM handled the situation.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting, the agency confirmed.—
Alexis McAdams,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instrument.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrument. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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