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
Stimulating immune responses against cancer Cancer immunotherapy instructs the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease.
—
Richard J. Price, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
The doctrine instructs that an erroneous fact in a story is not, by itself, sufficient for a defamation claim.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The alert also instructs any residents of Hugine Suites, who are not currently in the dormitory, to report to Smith–Hammond–Middleton Memorial Center, an Orangeburg arena.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
The email obtained by NPR instructs employees working on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to avoid using about a dozen words and phrases, many of which are central to their work.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
Further, Trump’s executive order instructs these agencies to coordinate surveillance with public health and welfare agencies to address disorderly elements in communities, even when that person has not committed a crime.
—Kate Caldwell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The computer identifies targets and instructs the motors to adjust the hand and wrist in real time.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Maryland’s appeal points to Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which instructs federal judges to be highly deferential in evaluating state criminal convictions.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 24 Sep. 2025
Allen instructs Blackie to follow him and jumps in his own car.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Richard J. Price, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
The doctrine instructs that an erroneous fact in a story is not, by itself, sufficient for a defamation claim.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The alert also instructs any residents of Hugine Suites, who are not currently in the dormitory, to report to Smith–Hammond–Middleton Memorial Center, an Orangeburg arena.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
The email obtained by NPR instructs employees working on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to avoid using about a dozen words and phrases, many of which are central to their work.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
Further, Trump’s executive order instructs these agencies to coordinate surveillance with public health and welfare agencies to address disorderly elements in communities, even when that person has not committed a crime.
—Kate Caldwell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The computer identifies targets and instructs the motors to adjust the hand and wrist in real time.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Maryland’s appeal points to Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which instructs federal judges to be highly deferential in evaluating state criminal convictions.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 24 Sep. 2025
Allen instructs Blackie to follow him and jumps in his own car.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs
Verb
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Yet where experimentation generally teaches new lessons, this felt more like reinforcement of where England are good and where England still have problems, a performance punctuated by familiar defensive frustrations and foibles.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Account holders also have access to a free, online course called eBird Essentials that teaches birding skills and the basics of using eBird tools.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Wells Notice, which serves as the civil equivalent of a criminal grand jury target letter, informs the recipients that the Division is prepared to recommend to the Commissioners that they be sued.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
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Once passengers buy tickets, the attendant directs them to a waiting Tesla, informs the driver of the destination and sends them on their way.—
Hadley Hitson,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the other end of the spectrum, Macquarie’s chief economist, David Doyle, tells Fortune that while Washington isn’t necessarily shaping its policy because of imminent recessionary fears, policymakers will be keen to maintain growth.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
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Folklorist Thomas Keightley tells the tale of a kobold named Hödeken who was insulted by a kitchen boy who kept spraying water at him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
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The nonprofit museum maintains the property and educates the public on Fort Lauderdale’s rich — and relatively young — history.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a time where women are adopting AI tools at a 25% lower rate than men, Pinterest’s Chief People Officer Doniel Sutton advises her female colleagues to lean in.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
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There’s also Iman’s colleague, Ghaderi (Reza Akhlaghi), who advises him to sign a detainee’s death sentence without even reviewing the file, which is the way things seem to function in their department.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The crew at Fireman Derek’s is cooking around the clock to pump out sweets for its three storefronts, plus Goldbelly orders that ship nationwide.—
Nila Do Simon,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
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In video released by the Ferguson Police department, a Missouri man orders his daughter, 6, to assault another child on the bus.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Morgan asks Joanne to help push her to break up with him — in the middle of their engagement party — and the younger sister tries to set her plan in motion.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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And then there’s the bigger-picture version, which asks audience members to think both outside the box and the multiplex.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The news came as about 300 people marched in a circle in front of the entrance to Coast Guard Island, an artificial island between Oakland and Alameda that houses several major United States Coast Guard commands.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
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Catturd commands significant influence online.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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