instant

noun in·stant \ ˈin(t)-stənt \

Definition of instant

1 :an infinitesimal space of time; especially :a point in time separating two states

at the instant of death

2 :the present or current month

See instant defined for English-language learners

See instant defined for kids

Examples of instant in a Sentence

For an instant, I forgot where I was.
The ride was over in an instant.

Recent Examples of instant from the Web

In an instant, Micheshia's home of a month-and-a-half warped into a crime scene.

— tessa weinberg, The Courier-Journal, "‘Seeing blood on the walls’: Mother of 7-year-old killed by stray bullet struggles with private heartache," 16 Aug. 2017
In the coaching business, an unforeseen path can crop up in an instant.

— mike hutton, chicagotribune.com, "Hutton: Long, winding road takes Kyle Benge to LaPorte as basketball coach," 12 Aug. 2017
The basketball jump shot, the football pass into the corner, the 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the ninth -- there is the instant of awareness without hesitation and then the elegance of the execution.

— neil senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mel Brooks, The Producers and entrepreneurs," 31 July 2017
Years of Palmer Luckey's promises to hit a $350-400 price sticker with the first consumer model were undercut in an instant.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "Oculus drops Rift and Touch prices, selling a $399 bundle for the 'Summer of Rift'," 10 July 2017
In an instant, Bezos could clone Blue Apron, so the fear goes.

— leigh gallagher, Fortune, "Why Are There More Potatoes in My Blue Apron Box?," 7 July 2017
Mann, a WingMan, reached the amount in an instant, and held a neighborhood bake-sale selling cookies, brownies and lollipops.

— kyle mcfadden, Howard County Times, "Athletes Serving Athletes continues growth in Howard County," 6 July 2017
This wasn’t a desire to dissolve ObamaCare in an instant.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "On ObamaCare, Republicans still chant repeal, replace; but question is when, how," 1 July 2017
James was fascinated; there was an instant chemistry between them.

— dinitia smith, Daily Intelligencer, "Straight Outta Queens," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'instant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of instant

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin instant-, instans, from instant-, instans, adjective, instant, from Latin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

instant Synonyms

Synonyms

beat, eyeblink, flash, heartbeat, jiff, jiffy, minute, moment, nanosecond, New York minute, second, shake, split second, trice, twinkle, twinkling, wink

Related Words

microsecond; snatch, spurt

Near Antonyms

aeon (or eon), age, eternity, forever; infinity, lifetime

instant

adjective

Definition of instant

1 :importunate, urgent

2 a :present, current

previous felonies not related to the instant crime

b :of or occurring in the present month —abbreviation inst

3 :immediate, direct

the play was an instant success

4 a (1) :premixed or precooked for easy final preparation

instant pudding

(2) :appearing in or as if in ready-to-use form

instant poetry

b :immediately soluble in water

instant coffee

5 :produced or occurring with or as if with extreme rapidity and ease

—

instantness

noun

See instant defined for English-language learners

Examples of instant in a Sentence

The movie was an instant hit.
He became an instant celebrity with the publication of his first novel.
We got an instant response from the company.
The Internet provides instant access to an enormous amount of information.
Is this coffee instant or regular?

Recent Examples of instant from the Web

What if the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an instant classic?

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "The Alabama-FSU loser has a real shot to be the first two-loss playoff team," 27 Aug. 2017
Denver was the site of last year’s instant classic, which was capped by Cairo Santos’ game-winning field goal that doinked off the upright and through the goal post.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Can Chiefs repeat as AFC West champs? Predicting wins, losses on 2017 schedule," 26 Aug. 2017
One year removed from instant prosperity, a player in Robinson’s position might easily be tempted to forego the charade of starting school with no intention of finishing.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Skipping college ball won't hurt Mitchell Robinson. For most players, that's not the case | Tim Sullivan," 24 Aug. 2017
Pop on this sheet mask, which uses peptides to create an instant firming effect in the skin.

— lauren balsamo, Cosmopolitan, "Your Guide to Perfect Skin, Straight From the Experts," 22 Aug. 2017
This is the museums’ purpose: to present the mind of an artist at work, in a world of transience and instant gratification, where, for Bergé, few true artists can survive.

— james mcauley, Town & Country, "Is Pierre Bergé the Most Powerful Man In France?," 16 Aug. 2017
That would include thumb drives, hard drives, instant messages, photocopies, email attachments, photos and other collections.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Kellyanne Conway said finding leakers is easier than leakers think. She might be right.," 5 Aug. 2017
And because of their instant rapport, Chung could get the boisterous Kay to behave when some of her colleagues could not.

— zoë kirsch, The Atlantic, "The Student Who Almost Got Away," 3 Aug. 2017
The smaller, closet-sized room is filled with canned beans, canned fruit, instant oatmeal, peanut butter, granola bars and Cup Noodles.

— priscella vega, Glendale News-Press, "To stay nourished, Glendale College students turn to Food for Thought Pantry," 13 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of instant

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin instant-, instans, from present participle of instare to stand upon, urge, from in- + stare to stand — more at stand

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

instant Synonyms

Synonyms

immediate, instantaneous, split-second, straightaway

Antonyms

noncritical, nonurgent

Related Words

summary; fast, hit-and-run, prompt, quick, rapid, speedy, swift

Near Antonyms

dilatory, tardy; slow, sluggish; prolonged, protracted; deferred, delayed

INSTANT Defined for English Language Learners

instant

noun

Definition of instant for English Language Learners

: a very short period of time

instant

adjective

Definition of instant for English Language Learners

: becoming something very quickly
: happening or done without delay
of food : able to be made very quickly : partially prepared by the manufacturer so that final preparation is quick and easy

INSTANT Defined for Kids

instant

noun in·stant \ ˈin-stənt \

Definition of instant for Students

:a very short time :moment

I'll be back in an instant.

instant

adjective

Definition of instant for Students

1 :happening or done right away

The play was an instant success.

2 :partially prepared by the manufacturer to make final preparation easy

instant pudding

Law Dictionary

instant

adjective in·stant

legal Definition of instant

:being under present consideration

the questions presented in the instant case

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instant

Definition of instant

instantness

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INSTANT Defined for English Language Learners

instant

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instant

Definition of instant for English Language Learners

INSTANT Defined for Kids

instant

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instant

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instant

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