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instantiate

verb
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in·​stan·​ti·​ate | \ in-ˈstan(t)-shē-ˌāt How to pronounce instantiate (audio) \
instantiated; instantiating

Definition of instantiate

transitive verb

: to represent (an abstraction) by a concrete instance heroes instantiate ideals— W. J. Bennett
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Other Words from instantiate

instantiation \ in-​ˌstan(t)-​shē-​ˈā-​shən How to pronounce instantiate (audio) \ noun

Examples of instantiate in a Sentence

his imposing mansion is intended to instantiate for visitors his staggering success as an entrepreneur
Recent Examples on the Web And along with these insights, these works instantiate an irresolvable tension between Thoreau’s quasi-sociological worldview and his transcendentalist preoccupation with the individual. — R.h. Lossin, The New York Review of Books, "The Revolutionary Thoreau," 4 Sep. 2020 Dehaene and Changeux postulated that the workspace is instantiated by a network of pyramidal (excitatory) neurons linked to far-flung cortical regions, in particular the prefrontal, parietotemporal and midline (cingulate) associative areas. — Christof Koch, Scientific American, "Will Machines Ever Become Conscious?," 1 Dec. 2019 This required the system to parse and validate the existing shaders as well as the new one, when the new pipeline is instantiated. — Jim Salter, Ars Technica, "DirectX 12 Ultimate brings Xbox Series X features to PC gaming," 19 Mar. 2020 The metaphors of cleanness vs. dirtiness form the book’s understructure, instantiate its opposition of purity vs. corruption. — Janet Malcolm, The New York Review of Books, "Lovesick," 24 Mar. 2020 Here, taxidermy becomes a way to instantiate our relationship to bodies—both our own and those of others. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "Taxidermy Is a Metaphor for Our Time," 21 Aug. 2019 It is instantiated in works that for centuries have absorbed the thought, labor, and substance of humankind. — Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, "The Mail," 19 May 2018

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

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First Known Use of instantiate

1949, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for instantiate

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The first known use of instantiate was in 1949

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Cite this Entry

“Instantiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instantiate. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for instantiate

Britannica English: Translation of instantiate for Arabic Speakers

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