How to Use instead in a Sentence

instead

adverb
  • I was offered a ride, but I chose to walk instead.
  • But the teen stashed it away in a box instead.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Get it to go and eat it on the beach instead.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Tarnoff prefers to think of them, instead, as more like malls.
    — Sarah Leonard, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2022
  • There’s like a half-hour of stock footage in the movie instead.
    — J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
  • But instead, Carey made more of my dreams come true.
    — Lindsey Underwood, Vanity Fair, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But he is instead now lodged in the middle of it.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Step up your fashion game with this stylish high-neck tank top instead.
    — Kirsten Chanel Webber, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024
  • Or just switch to a top sheet instead and wash it with your sheets every week.
    — Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The same is true for those who may be able to travel by car or train instead.
    — NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
  • So instead, this list will steer you toward unique (and on-time) presents.
    — Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Apr. 2022
  • But my thinking is instead to leg one’s way into the trade.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The suspect instead drove away.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Feel free to use 5 medium eggs or 6 large eggs instead.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
  • What could have been the second out instead clanked off the scoreboard.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2021
  • Seilheimer cooked up a chowder that swapped out clams for the snails instead.
    — Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2023
  • If that's the case for you, try out the exercise in a sumo stance instead.
    — Tony Gentilcore, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Skip the top and instead throw shorts and a cardi over your bikini or one-piece.
    — India Roby, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Stop using copy-and-paste templates and stores—instead, be unique.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Let’s talk instead about what violence does to schools.
    — Jerald McNair, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Their in-house pumpkin syrup is not too sweet or pumpkiny, but spice-filled instead.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Harvick instead ran the white 29 car.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026
  • How to draw a sugar skull Want to draw a sugar skull instead?
    — Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 14 Oct. 2021
  • He is instead forced to flee from his family to Ohio.
    — Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Next, was the model’s turn, but Peltz used it as a runway instead.
    — Angel Saunders, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The state has not banned car charging, but instead urged people to do so during the day.
    — Kathleen Ronayne, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022
  • Four citrusy layers are filled with a buttery lemon curd instead.
    — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The hero with a thousand faces is left, instead, with a thousand loan accounts.
    — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2021
  • Voters instead left him in second place, sending both to a runoff.
    — Karen Brooks Harper austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026
  • For those that use the dongle or wired connection instead, this won’t be a huge deal.
    — Christian De Looper, BGR, 26 Oct. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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