instants

noun

plural of instant
as in moments
a very small space of time it all happened in an instant

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 instants Recent instants, according to the company, will be saved in an archive that's private and only accessible to the user who takes it. — Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 13 May 2026 Elle has become a collector of sounds, wandering the city with a pocket recorder in hand, creating what are, in effect, sonic images of instants stretched out into time. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instants
  1. moments
  2. minutes
  3. seconds
  4. heartbeats
Noun
  • Domestic deployments have generally been reserved for relatively brief moments of extraordinary unrest, major security threats or natural disasters.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • His family is now part of a program built for moments like that involving a simple tool that could save a life.
    — Noel Brennan, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of moments
Noun
  • Rest for at least 30 minutes, ideally 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.
    — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Zero would mean exactly the same players playing exactly the same share of minutes; 100 per cent reflects an entirely new team.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of minutes
Noun
  • At that speed, even tiny particles produce bright streaks, often leaving glowing trails that persist for several seconds.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Some dialogues seem leisurely and inconsequential, while some major revelations are over in seconds.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of seconds
Noun
  • Everything in the body runs in vibratory cycles from heartbeats to brainwaves to sleep-wake cycles.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But the most striking of the new songs is the opener, a slow-motion unfurling against a backdrop of heartbeats and zithers.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026
Definition of heartbeats

Browse Nearby Words

instantly
instants
instate
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Cite this Entry

“Instants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instants. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on instants

Nglish: Translation of instants for Spanish Speakers

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