instance
a case or occurrence of anything: fresh instances of oppression.
an example put forth in proof or illustration: to cite a few instances.
Also called in·stanced dun·geon . (in an online multiplayer video game) a zone, as a dungeon, to which access is limited to a player or group of players entering simultaneously and working together: each instance is one copy of the zone in which the quests, enemies, items, events, etc., are staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from other player characters in the larger online population of the game server.
Law. the institution and prosecution of a case.
Archaic. urgency in speech or action.
Obsolete. an impelling motive.
to cite as an instance or example.
to exemplify by an instance.
(in an online multiplayer video game) to design (a zone) as a set of identical copies, staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from the larger population of the game server, thereby presenting key narrative elements or achievements in a controlled environment: The game developers instanced a winter wonderland with special quests for the holiday event.
to cite an instance.
Idioms about instance
at the instance of, at the urging or suggestion of: He applied for the assistantship at the instance of his professor.
for instance, as an example; for example: If you were to go to Italy, for instance, you would get a different perspective on our culture.
Origin of instance
1synonym study For instance
Other words from instance
- coun·ter·in·stance, noun
- un·in·stanced, adjective
Words Nearby instance
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use instance in a sentence
They just reflect the range of breeds that were used to create the Heck cattle in the first instance.
For instance, Best Buy has over 40 million members in its customer loyalty program, Reward Zone.
For instance, how do you balance honesty with any protective urge?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination | Mindy Farabee | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEl Bulli, for instance, previously named the best restaurant in the world, shuttered its doors after only a few decades.
This happens, for instance, in one out of five vaccinations against rubella.
For instance, the Limestone Polypody is not happy unless there is a certain amount of lime present in the soil.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinA delightful instance of this fell under my own observation, as I was walking on Hampstead Heath.
Children's Ways | James SullyBecause the universe is governed by laws, and there is no credible instance on record of those laws being suspended.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordMany of his bird neighbors,p. 31 for instance, liked the same things to eat that he did.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyFor instance, few workmen will take a holiday; they prefer a "day's out" or "play."
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
British Dictionary definitions for instance
/ (ˈɪnstəns) /
a case or particular example
for instance for or as an example
a specified stage in proceedings; step (in the phrases in the first, second, etc, instance)
urgent request or demand (esp in the phrase at the instance of)
logic
an expression derived from another by instantiation
archaic motive or reason
to cite as an example
Origin of instance
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with instance
see under for example.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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