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
This portion instructs Claude to be attentive to the well-being of users.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
When the external environment reaches above 25 degrees Celsius, or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, the brain’s hypothalamus instructs the glands to release sweat.
—Sophia Dyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026
The legislation, which won't take effect until after the November 2026 election, instructs the secretary of the Senate to place senators' paychecks on hold during the duration of any future federal government shutdowns.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 14 May 2026
The memo instructs creators who sign on to make new social media accounts under usernames that reflect their names or a nickname, avoiding brands, random numbers or anything that looks like spam.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
The movie opens with Lucila (Anna Díaz, the sole reason to keep watching) being woken by her mother Isabel (Adriana Paz, from Emilia Perez), who instructs her to take care of her little brother before disappearing to Spain.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
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
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
When the external environment reaches above 25 degrees Celsius, or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, the brain’s hypothalamus instructs the glands to release sweat.
—Sophia Dyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026
The legislation, which won't take effect until after the November 2026 election, instructs the secretary of the Senate to place senators' paychecks on hold during the duration of any future federal government shutdowns.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 14 May 2026
The memo instructs creators who sign on to make new social media accounts under usernames that reflect their names or a nickname, avoiding brands, random numbers or anything that looks like spam.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
The movie opens with Lucila (Anna Díaz, the sole reason to keep watching) being woken by her mother Isabel (Adriana Paz, from Emilia Perez), who instructs her to take care of her little brother before disappearing to Spain.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs
Verb
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Lyman, along with Eric Tobin of Hopeless Records and Mike Kaminsky of KMGMT, who also teaches at USC, got together to create the Summer School tour, a traveling group of emerging pop-punk and indie acts, to try to fill the void left after Warped Tour temporarily hung up its cape in 2019.—
Charlie Vargas,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
Paula Chesley teaches yoga at a clinic for people with eating disorders, including both service members and veterans.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
3 June 2026
Verb
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This philosophy informs the organization’s experiential learning division, known as the Soulship Academy or Light School.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
But the spirit of McCartney’s meticulous recent archival projects now informs the message of his new music.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Netflix tells Variety the game will be updated daily throughout the World Cup with new challenges and features tied into the real events and results of the tournament.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
4 June 2026
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Navalny tells the story of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader whose poisoning by Putin operatives in August 2020 nearly killed him.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Part of the Who HQ series, this book educates readers about LGBTQ+ activist Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician elected in California.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
27 May 2026
Verb
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The Challenger report also advises teens to start filling out applications ASAP.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
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Soto advises teenagers looking for work to check which skills and certifications are required for a prospective role — for example, childcare workers and babysitters often need first aid and CPR certifications.—
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Verb
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So the Devil orders the father to cut off his daughter’s offending hands.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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If the other person orders you to bring them a lemonade, don’t do it.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Perhaps that’s why Irish actor Colm Meaney has been called in to play the proprietor of a convenience store who, in short order, conspires to get Cameron a job alongside Tova, asks Tova out on a date, and is forever giving away coffee and other goods.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
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Trademark law asks whether the use misleads consumers about whether a company or person has produced or endorsed something.—
Daryl Lim,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The researchers call the new platform the Insect Synergy Circuit (ISC), a system designed to respond to an insect’s physiological state instead of merely issuing movement commands.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
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The South Caucasus rarely commands attention until war breaks out, pipelines are threatened, or a great power expands its footprint.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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