1
as in teaches
to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field
spent his military career instructing young pilots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in informs
to give information to
instructed everyone in the use of the new telephone system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tells
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instructs
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
—
Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Each day, Hall instructs her students to look around for friends who aren't there.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
In a will or trust, a person instructs how to distribute assets upon their death.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
If the model instructs a wrist to rotate 180 degrees – physically impossible without injury – the system automatically redistributes that motion across multiple joints.
—Omar Kardoudi
april 13, New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026
Aunt Lydia instructs Agnes to mentor Daisy — and that’s when the cracks within a key segment of Gilead start to form.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
When a candidate who had previously filed to run withdraws within two days of the filing deadline, Missouri election law instructs local election boards to reopen the filing window.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Social media ban bill in Massachusetts The legislation instructs social media companies to ban minors under 14 from using their platforms.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
In 2012, 73 percent of Coloradans approved Amendment 65, which instructs our legislature and congressional delegation to support a federal constitutional amendment allowing reasonable limits on campaign spending.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Each day, Hall instructs her students to look around for friends who aren't there.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
In a will or trust, a person instructs how to distribute assets upon their death.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
If the model instructs a wrist to rotate 180 degrees – physically impossible without injury – the system automatically redistributes that motion across multiple joints.
—Omar Kardoudi
april 13, New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026
Aunt Lydia instructs Agnes to mentor Daisy — and that’s when the cracks within a key segment of Gilead start to form.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
When a candidate who had previously filed to run withdraws within two days of the filing deadline, Missouri election law instructs local election boards to reopen the filing window.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Social media ban bill in Massachusetts The legislation instructs social media companies to ban minors under 14 from using their platforms.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
In 2012, 73 percent of Coloradans approved Amendment 65, which instructs our legislature and congressional delegation to support a federal constitutional amendment allowing reasonable limits on campaign spending.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs
Verb
-
There’s the brooding, damaged Creasy, who confusingly passes out at inopportune moments owing to his trauma; an international setting (Italy in the book and first film, Mexico City in the 2004 movie); and a young woman who breaks through his defenses and teaches him to feel again.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Tillman is Professor/Writer-in-Residence in the Department of English at the University of Albany and teaches at the School of Visual Arts’ Art Criticism and Writing MFA Program in New York.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Welcome to Latest & Greatest, a franchise that celebrates all the shiniest new beauty launches of the month and informs you what’s worth your time and cash.—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
StyleCaster,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Meta informs staff layoffs affecting 8,000 employees amid AI push – Amid a massive strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence, Meta has informed its staff of impending layoffs expected to affect approximately 8,000 employees as the tech giant restructures its workforce.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If a guy whose brother is engaged to Taylor Swift can pick a barbecue spot blind and land on a Charlotte favorite, that tells you something.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Parker tells me, grinning in his studio just outside of Los Angeles, in Altadena, in early April.—
Grayson Haver Currin,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
-
In 2019, the New York City Department of Education, which educates 900,000 children across some 1,600 schools, held a mandatory anti-bias training for all administrators.—
Steven F. Wilson,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kara Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University and advises parents, students and teachers on how to manage screen time.—
Kara Alaimo,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The white mailbox out front advises that deliveries should go to the house next door.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Federal officials have sent a letter that orders the corporate owner in the public-private partnership at Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to bring an engineer on site, restore the powerhouse operations and provide an assessment of the conditions.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, supreme commander of the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s second in command, and the highest-ranking surviving Nazi leader, steps out of the car, stands at attention to announce his surrender, and orders the soldiers to carry his bags.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sweeney asks in the commercial, posing in denim shorts against a blue sky backdrop, while smiling and playing with her hair.—
Shad Powers,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Feeling understood is comforting, but leadership asks something different from us.—
Jonathan Alpert OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dean's commitment to authenticity in his music is precisely why Magnolia Sage stands firmly in the territory of a future classic and commands Dean's presence as an artist's artist.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Don’t look now, but Live Nation is shedding its low-margin promoter roots and emerging as a dominant venue owner/operator that increasingly commands the kind of premium valuation multiple its scale, control and economics justify.—
Justin Zacks,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
