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
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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
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Recent Examples of instruct
After a municipal employee was shot to death outside a school, Manzo instructed police to use lethal force against any criminal who attacked citizens or resisted arrest.
—
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Her partner, Xander Font Freide, called emergency services, which instructed him to begin CPR.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
For much of the last quarter century, Beijing has considered all Uyghur militants abroad as terrorists and has repeatedly accused Uyghur movements of inspiring or instructing thousands of terrorist attacks, some deadly, inside China over a three-decade period.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
Before the laser concert officially started, the show’s curator came out to instruct the audience.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for instruct
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Her partner, Xander Font Freide, called emergency services, which instructed him to begin CPR.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
For much of the last quarter century, Beijing has considered all Uyghur militants abroad as terrorists and has repeatedly accused Uyghur movements of inspiring or instructing thousands of terrorist attacks, some deadly, inside China over a three-decade period.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
Before the laser concert officially started, the show’s curator came out to instruct the audience.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for instruct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instruct
Verb
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Bo-Katan explains the Mandalorians who raised Din and taught him to never show his face are religious zealots known as the Children of the Watch, who broke from Mandalorian society.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
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The new safe play park aims to teach children the rules of the road early on, Dougherty said, who went on to say there’s typically an increase in traffic incidents involving young drivers during the summer months.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Instead, inform the bank of your plans now to avoid having your funds get locked into a less profitable account.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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We were informed pretty quickly when each issue occurred.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
Verb
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For one, tech behemoth Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results recently and told investors that capital expenditures for the year will reach $190 billion due to soaring memory costs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Two Game 7 victories for Cleveland tells me this team is not going to get rattled.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
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Several teachers on the staff have been a part of Ocean Week since its origins in 1993 including Halboth, Linda Tan and Christi Walter—all three are retiring this spring after giving 35 years of educating Rancho Santa Fe students.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Lupe Todd-Medina, a Democratic strategist and a longtime Jeffries ally, is currently advising a State Senate candidate running against Brisport.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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State police later spoke to Vargas’ mother who said their lawyer had advised them not to talk to investigators and would contact police on their behalf, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Verb
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If there are Porthilly oysters on the menu don’t even think about ordering another starter.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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Meanwhile, Hester has been privately dealing with mental lapses and throbbing headaches, refraining from telling her family about the medical tests her doctor ordered.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
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On the topic of arresting homeless people, moderators asked how Bianco's sheriff's office has been known to do.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Patients were concerned too, and some asked Hulse what would happen to the new clinic after her team left.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The parts that remained were commanded by captains.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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That performance helped Feehan take a commanding 4-0 lead into the seventh, which is when the game nearly went awry for the Shamrocks.—
Justin Barrasso,
Boston Herald,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instruct. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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