instill

play

verb in·still \in-ˈstil\

Definition of instill

transitive verb
1 : to cause to enter drop by drop instill medication into the infected eye
2 : to impart gradually instilling a love of learning in children

instillation

play \ˌin(t)-stə-ˈlā-shən, -(ˌ)sti-\ noun

instiller

play \in-ˈsti-lər\ noun

instillment

play \in-ˈstil-mənt\ noun

See instill defined for English-language learners

See instill defined for kids

Examples of instill in a Sentence

a charismatic leader who instilled in his followers a passionate commitment to the cause

Recent Examples of instill from the Web

There appears, after all, to be no overarching philosophy deployed by Florentino Pérez, the club’s president, to build a team, and no style of play that Zinedine Zidane, its coach, has instilled in his players.

— rory smith, New York Times, "Real Madrid, Hard to Define, Firms Its Stamp on Champions League", 3 June 2017
Comer became the first black in Indiana to attend Boys State at Indiana State University, a statewide organization aimed at instilling public service skills.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Richard Comer shattered stereotypes in Gary", 1 June 2017
James has borrowed from Miami, instilling the qualities at the center of the Heat's success.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers' secret to success is built behind the scenes", 1 June 2017
The kindness helped instill a love of learning and propelled her into teaching.

— lisa mclean, baltimoresun.com, "Owings Mills Elementary educator tabbed as county Teacher of the Year", 30 May 2017
On March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, suffered a partial meltdown that instilled fear in hundreds of thousands of nearby residents and changed the way Americans viewed the technology.

— Washington Post, "AP WAS THERE: Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident", 30 May 2017
The ultimate respect has to be earned, and the only way to do that—and instill a culture of togetherness—

— david a. yovanno, Fortune, "How the Navy Prepared Me to Be a Better CEO", 28 May 2017
As something like this happens, this only instills fear in that community.

— jim ryan | the oregonian/oregonlive, NOLA.com, "2 killed in stabbing on MAX train as man directs slurs at Muslim women, police say", 26 May 2017
Knowledge will be instilled into students through wires attached to their heads.

— greg miller, WIRED, "Here’s How People 100 Years Ago Thought We’d Be Living Today", 28 May 2014

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

Origin and Etymology of instill

Middle English, from Latin instillare, from in- + stillare to drip, from stilla drop

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of instill

implant, inculcate, instill, inseminate, infix mean to introduce into the mind. implant implies teaching that makes for permanence of what is taught. implanted a love of reading in her students inculcate implies persistent or repeated efforts to impress on the mind. tried to inculcate in him high moral standards instill stresses gradual, gentle imparting of knowledge over a long period of time. instill traditional values in your children inseminate applies to a sowing of ideas in many minds so that they spread through a class or nation. inseminated an unquestioning faith in technology infix stresses firmly inculcating a habit of thought. infixed a chronic cynicism

INSTILL Defined for English Language Learners

instill

play

verb

Definition of instill for English Language Learners

: to gradually cause someone to have (an attitude, feeling, etc.)

INSTILL Defined for Kids

instill

play

verb in·still \in-ˈstil\

Definition of instill for Students

instilled

;

instilling

: to put into the mind little by little Patience with the ways of nature had been instilled in her by her father. — Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves