as in plants
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
a charismatic leader who instilled in his followers a passionate commitment to the cause
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Recent Examples of instills
As Defense Secretary Dan Ogilvy (Pip Carter) is appointed as interim Prime Minister, Livingston deploys the military into the streets and instills a 24-hour media blackout.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Owning your gaps in knowledge and committing to a solution shows a sense of ownership and urgency that instills more confidence than vague reassurances ever do.
—Suresh Rajapakse, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
There’s a scene in a restaurant in which Sylvia, while reeling from the effects of a weed gummy, tries to unearth a few secrets from her friends, and the way Byrne instills her character’s false confidence into every inebriated gesture and slurred word is nothing short of stunning.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
Leguizamo instills Bob with a touching tenderness.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Mar. 2025
This knowledge of your limits instills trust and collaboration, allowing others space to chip in with their own abilities.
—Melissa Sierra, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
The school districts allege the companies designed their products in a way that encourages compulsive use, instills anxiety when users aren’t on the platform often enough and provides inadequate parental controls.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2025
One intervention program instills a love of learning and fosters self-esteem.
—Ogar Monday, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Feb. 2025
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Owning your gaps in knowledge and committing to a solution shows a sense of ownership and urgency that instills more confidence than vague reassurances ever do.
—Suresh Rajapakse, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
There’s a scene in a restaurant in which Sylvia, while reeling from the effects of a weed gummy, tries to unearth a few secrets from her friends, and the way Byrne instills her character’s false confidence into every inebriated gesture and slurred word is nothing short of stunning.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
Leguizamo instills Bob with a touching tenderness.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Mar. 2025
This knowledge of your limits instills trust and collaboration, allowing others space to chip in with their own abilities.
—Melissa Sierra, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
The school districts allege the companies designed their products in a way that encourages compulsive use, instills anxiety when users aren’t on the platform often enough and provides inadequate parental controls.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2025
One intervention program instills a love of learning and fosters self-esteem.
—Ogar Monday, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instills
Verb
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Space plants 1 to 3 feet apart.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
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In another photo, Bongiovi plants a kiss on his wife's cheek while Brown takes a selfie in a casual diner.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The mix of casual shoppers and focused design professionals blends beautifully in the Southern sun and also breeds an element of fun.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
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Others focus on preserving stability, knowing that disruption breeds uncertainty, and uncertainty carries both personal and professional risk.—
Alex Brueckmann,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instead of sitting in a chatbox, PromptQL embeds directly into enterprise processes like contracts, engineering, or procurement, so uncertainty flags and corrections appear exactly where the work is happening.—
Jaime Catmull,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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This technique embeds invisible commands inside the body of an email.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a strong culture, everyone roots their daily decisions in a desire to be in it to win it; there's a sense of ownership, pride and belonging.—
Alex Brueckmann,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instills. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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