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 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
Both chambers took the first step toward crafting the reconciliation package this week, adopting a budget plan that instructs the relevant committees to write legislation to fund the immigration agencies.
—Stefan Becket, CBS News, 30 Apr. 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
In a will or trust, a person instructs how to distribute assets upon their death.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 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
When a candidate who had previously filed to run withdraws within two days of the filing deadline, Missouri election law instructs local election boards to reopen the filing window.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Both chambers took the first step toward crafting the reconciliation package this week, adopting a budget plan that instructs the relevant committees to write legislation to fund the immigration agencies.
—Stefan Becket, CBS News, 30 Apr. 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
In a will or trust, a person instructs how to distribute assets upon their death.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 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
When a candidate who had previously filed to run withdraws within two days of the filing deadline, Missouri election law instructs local election boards to reopen the filing window.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs
Verb
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My faith teaches me to love my neighbor as myself.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
That, says Knobel, who now teaches a class on TV’s biggest innovators, is just one example of why Turner was the biggest of them all — huge steps ahead of anyone else in his understanding of how news needed to be delivered.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
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As a major destination for outdoor parties ranging from pop-up shops for local vendors to off-season wedding celebrations, the team informs guests of any events on the agenda before booking, so each stay is suitable to visitor preferences.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
Ahead, Quintrell walks IndieWire through how the series tweaks, alters, and informs new perspective for everyone from Charlotte Lucas to Caroline Bingley and, of course, Mary Bennet herself.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
Verb
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That tells you everything about the disconnect people are feeling.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
-
District 8 needs a leader who works with the community, tells the truth and delivers real results, not political deals or insider arrangements.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
7 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
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Kara Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University and advises parents, students and teachers on how to manage screen time.—
Kara Alaimo,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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The white mailbox out front advises that deliveries should go to the house next door.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Federal officials have sent a letter that orders the corporate owner in the public-private partnership at Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to bring an engineer on site, restore the powerhouse operations and provide an assessment of the conditions.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, supreme commander of the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s second in command, and the highest-ranking surviving Nazi leader, steps out of the car, stands at attention to announce his surrender, and orders the soldiers to carry his bags.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The spa, which feels refreshingly apart from the bustling Wisconsin Dells thanks to acres of surrounding pines, asks guests to leave the kids at home and electronics in the guest rooms.—
Jess Hoffert,
Midwest Living,
9 May 2026
-
The school asks a lot of its students.—
Steve Kastenbaum,
NPR,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that the leader is lucid and exerting total control over the country that his office commands.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
1 May 2026
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Following a surge of federal law enforcement in Minneapolis, for instance, Hamilton cited an Old Testament verse that commands Israelites to treat foreigners with love and fairness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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