1
as in teaches
to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field
spent his military career instructing young pilots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in informs
to give information to
instructed everyone in the use of the new telephone system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tells
to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority
the proctors instructed everyone to put their pencils down and hand in their tests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instructs
The bill instructs the Office of Cannabis Management to seek those funds.
—
Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 8 May 2026
The website instructs guests not to go to the airport, confirming that the airline carrier has officially shut down and all flights are cancelled.
—Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 7 May 2026
To remove wrinkles on the bottom of the garment, wear the glove and press the fabric between your hand and the steamer, instructs Lewenhaupt.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 4 May 2026
The resolution instructs congressional committees to draft legislation and authorize $70 billion to pay for the law enforcement agencies for roughly the next three years.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Each day, Hall instructs her students to look around for friends who aren't there.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
If the model instructs a wrist to rotate 180 degrees – physically impossible without injury – the system automatically redistributes that motion across multiple joints.
—Omar Kardoudi
april 13, New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026
Aunt Lydia instructs Agnes to mentor Daisy — and that’s when the cracks within a key segment of Gilead start to form.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 8 May 2026
The website instructs guests not to go to the airport, confirming that the airline carrier has officially shut down and all flights are cancelled.
—Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 7 May 2026
To remove wrinkles on the bottom of the garment, wear the glove and press the fabric between your hand and the steamer, instructs Lewenhaupt.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 4 May 2026
The resolution instructs congressional committees to draft legislation and authorize $70 billion to pay for the law enforcement agencies for roughly the next three years.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Each day, Hall instructs her students to look around for friends who aren't there.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
If the model instructs a wrist to rotate 180 degrees – physically impossible without injury – the system automatically redistributes that motion across multiple joints.
—Omar Kardoudi
april 13, New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026
Aunt Lydia instructs Agnes to mentor Daisy — and that’s when the cracks within a key segment of Gilead start to form.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs
Verb
-
Jonathan Zimmerman teaches history and education at the University of Pennsylvania.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Rooting for a hapless team for nearly two decades teaches you to find pleasures beyond victory.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
From bougainvillea pink to garden greens, see how nature informs designer Peter Dunham's fearless use of color and pattern.—
Eleni N. Gage,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 May 2026
-
Inside, the metal drive-mode knob is treated to a red anodized finish, which also informs the color of the contrast stitching, seatbelts, headrest embroidery, and piping.—
Bradley Iger,
Robb Report,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In it, Martin, who is curating the show, tells Elmo of the significance of the performance — and gets some help choosing the performers.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
-
Turner tells him the story is already filed with the press.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
The Santa Ana Unified School District, which educates some 35,000 students across 52 campuses, was impacted, though.—
Kristy Hutchings,
Daily News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Beth Chatelain, a former ATF attorney who now advises gun shops at the firm Zeroed In Legal Solutions, said the changes track political tides, but won’t necessarily last.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
One of these is Paddy Galloway, which advises creators including Jimmy Donaldson, known to the world as MrBeast, and sports creator Jesse Riedel, also known as Jesser.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was always expected to live a quiet life — but she’s sent on an entirely different path when her mother, a general in the military, orders her to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become dragon riders, the elite of Navarre.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
11 May 2026
-
The story centers on Violet Sorrengail, whose plans for a quiet life are upended when her mother, a military general, orders her to join the brutal Basgiath War College and become one of several hundred candidates vying to become dragon riders.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The city asks residents reporting violations to provide the location, date, time and type of activity observed.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
-
In the last few pages of the play, there’s something so powerful in the way Linda asks Willy to come to bed — the knowing and the tiredness and the strength and sadness in it.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Weekend nights, Cleotilde Juárez Ramírez commands this patch of sidewalk, wielding a comal the size of a satellite dish over a brazier.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Leverage in the Shadows Beyond private credit, the broader non-bank financial sector carries elevated leverage that commands the Fed’s attention.—
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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