Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

instant

[in-stuh

nt]

Example Sentences Origin

Want a Liquid Face Lift? www.beautedeparis.fr Erase Appearance of Wrinkles in Min Clinically Tested. 100% Guaranteed

Dictionary.com Free Toolbar Dictionary.com Define Instant Instantly. Faster Page Loads With Fewer Ads.

Ads

noun

an infinitesimal or very short space of time; a moment: They arrived not an instant too soon.

the point of time now present or present with reference to some action or event.

a particular moment: at the instant of contact.

a food or beverage, especially coffee, specially processed for quick preparation.

Older Use. the present or current month.

adjective

succeeding without any interval of time; prompt; immediate: instant relief from a headache.

pressing or urgent: instant need.

noting a food or beverage requiring a minimal amount of time and effort to prepare, as by heating or the addition of milk or water, before being served or used: instant coffee; instant pudding.

occurring, done, or prepared with a minimal amount of time and effort; produced rapidly and with little preparation: an instant book; instant answers; instant history.

10.

designed to act or produce results quickly or immediately: an instant lottery.

EXPAND

11.

Older Use. of the present month: your letter of the 12th instant. Abbreviation: inst. Compare proximo, ultimo.

12.

present; current: the instant case before the court.

COLLAPSE

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Instant is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

adverb

13.

instantly.

Origin:
1350–1400; 1910–15; for def. 8; Middle English < Latin instant- (stem of instāns) present participle of instāre to be present, urgent, equivalent to in- in-² + -stā- stand + -nt- present participle suffix

Synonyms
1. second, twinkling, flash, jiffy, trice. See minute¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To instant

Example Sentences

Instant electronic processing of medical insurance claims has long been discussed, but its adoption has been slow.

The instant a speaker commences to talk his way through bulleted slides, my eyelids feel the tug of gravity.

And investigators say that they are unable to monitor instant messaging.

EXPAND

Instant electronic processing of medical insurance claims has long been discussed, but its adoption has been slow.

The instant a speaker commences to talk his way through bulleted slides, my eyelids feel the tug of gravity.

And investigators say that they are unable to monitor instant messaging.

How one supercharged province cranks out lightbulbs, buttons and bra rings, as well as instant cities for the factory workers.

The steady rise of digital cameras has prompted the rapid growth of a new industry: instant photographic developing.

But the real beauty of speaking a minority language is the instant acceptance you get from native speakers.

Make an instant stamp from this seasonal five-pointed fruit.

The instant film camera is slimmer and smaller, and yet packs in.

Critics say that instant scratch-off games are more likely to contribute to problem gambling.

Their visibility and prestige can give them instant friends and enemies on campus, either of which can provide distractions.

Commercial logic, not to mention basic humanity, demanded an instant recall.

One supercharged province cranks out instant cities for factory workers.

New mobile services provide instant access to the healthiest, greenest catch.

It contains boxes of macaroni, cornmeal, instant chocolate-flavored drink mix and nonfat dried milk.

See how to create an outdoor party room in an instant with colorful paper garlands.

Polaroid, fresh from ruining its reputation in the instant camera game, has turned its attention to flashes.

So, don't fire off an application the instant you read the ad.

But every local can answer that question in an instant.

Hot on the trails: try one of these eight instant weekend getaways for autumn enlightenment.

We've all heard scantily clad spokespeople make bogus claims about instant weight-loss supplements on late-night television.

The instant the ball is hit, the fielders strive for timing and.

White lights are instant magic, strung overhead or threaded into baskets.

Linguists fear that instant messaging and e-mail are responsible for language's deterioration.

My instant reaction to his presence concerned the safety of the other students in the room.

While some may carp, none has been able to match its instant global brand recognition.

The molds revealed the volcano's victims frozen at the instant of death.

It is great for making instant ice cream and perfectly cooked hamburgers.

The animal detected me and in an instant turned tail and sprinted into the woods.

Next time a stranger sends you an instant message, don't be sure there's a real person behind the exchange.

If this doesn't exist in history, write such an article: instant fame in the discipline, and an extremely widely read article.

The brain identifies patterns, proportions and relationships to make instant subliminal comparisons.

The fangs fold back against the roof of the snake's mouth…then snap out in an instant to strike.

They had to decide with an instant mouse click whether the face was black or white.

In the instant before he dies, the man strains to lift himself from the ground with one elbow.

The tags, available from garden stores, turn fruits with stems into instant place-setters.

Instant feedback shows you how different apertures affect.

I'd argue that his behavior would still be reprehensible then, but there are more ways to discipline him than instant firing.

As a heroine of the tea-party movement, she would become an instant front-runner if she entered the race.

In the same instant came the shrill trumpets of elephants angered by the hyena cries.

So, if no miracle is possible, every billionth of billionth of instant must depend from the previous fraction of instant.

Everything was eaten the instant it left the stove in the few precious moments before grime covered it.

Selecting a warm toned hue adds instant sunlight to any space.

Just hang them on the wall for an instant work of art.

The application lets professors set up instant polls in various formats.

Her reaction to such sights is often to murmur a curse and fetch a cup of instant coffee.

In an instant he drew his dive knife and prepared to defend himself, but the big squid had fled.

Also, putting one's academic qualifications after one's name is an instant turn-off.

He deputized an instant force of local men to back him up.

To create your own instant workspace anywhere, put a flat birch hollow-core door atop two adjustable sawhorses.

They can also watch instant replays, useful when some plays are not shown on the giant screen.

Burrying your head in a laptop and booting up a drive instead of adjusting your sails to instant wind changes.

Plus: time-savers for travelers, payoffs for procrastinators, and the fine art of the instant escape.

Manley took the time at the start at the instant when the machine left the ground.

At some points, dinner has consisted of instant coffee and crackers, highlighted by a trip to a nearby diner for grilled goat.

For instant makeovers, she stocks quick-change accessories, from lampshades and ottomans to pillows and pottery.

Anything less will be exposed as inadequate the instant it is put to the test.

It was an instant success and remained a bestseller for years.

Now, a student scientist's accidental observation has led to new insights on how these hunters react with such instant reflexes.

Electric motors have instant torque vs combustion engines which take time to rev.

There is an instant disconnect in the communication because one is doing something unnatural.

Put them in the ground now or pop their nursery cans into larger containers for instant holiday displays for porch or deck.

The instant you tap that microphone, it starts to record.

Moreover, all such instant judgments are based not only on incomplete knowledge but also on untestable what-ifs.

Then there could be instant communication, data and telemetry, even across light-years.

When that movie came out, it was an instant hit with many kids.

Set a pitcher of it on your table for instant color.

And of course a photo at a single instant in time doesn't tell us what anyone was doing at other points in time.

Meanwhile, suppliers demand instant payment from companies with weak balance-sheets and equity investors downgrade the shares.

And for your loving family and friends, who would suffer instant bereavement, your sudden death would be a cruel loss.

And drizzle honey over creamy ricotta cheese for a practically instant dessert.

Legalize personal growing, create an instant check for intoxication, and stoners are no different than drunks.

Inexpensive pegboard and paint become instant artwork when paired with a collection of tools.

The store even rewards you with an instant discount on a new purchase or a gift card.

Then again, sometimes it pays to give in to instant gratification.

Notice all the instant physicist and biologists that have suddenly sprouted.

They usually install one-gallon plants for the instant effect, he says.

It became an instant hit and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

instant (ˈɪnstənt)

—n
1.	a very brief time; moment
2.	a particular moment or point in time: at the same instant
3.	on the instant immediately; without delay

—*adj*
4.	immediate; instantaneous
5.	(esp of foods) prepared or designed for preparation with very little time and effort: instant coffee
6.	urgent or imperative
7.	(postpositive) when abbreviated in formal correspondence
	a. proximo Compare ultimo inst of the present month: a letter of the 7th instant
	b. currently under consideration

—*adv*
8.	a poetic word for instantly

[C15: from Latin instāns, from instāre to be present, press closely, from in-² + stāre to stand]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

instant

late 14c., "infinitely short space of time," from O.Fr. instant (adj.) "assiduous, at hand," from M.L. instantem (nom. instans), from L. instantem "present, pressing, urgent," prp. of instare "to urge, to stand near, be present (to urge one's case)," from in- "in" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta-

EXPAND

"to stand" (see stet). Elliptical use of the O.Fr. adj. as a noun. New Latinate adj. form instantaneous is attested from 1650s.

COLLAPSE

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for instant?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

action replay bring chat chronograph dump event

Matching Quote

"Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world."

-unknown author

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help

instant

in·stant