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
He is whisked away from a charity basketball event to his Air Force One, where Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves (Jonah Hauer-King) hands him the Black Bag and instructs him to choose which retaliatory strike option to approve.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Cameron and Sullivan find Jones, and Sullivan instructs Cameron to bring him back to the medic truck.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
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 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
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Cameron and Sullivan find Jones, and Sullivan instructs Cameron to bring him back to the medic truck.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs
Verb
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Adopting these federal tax cuts for businesses could, at least in theory, attract businesses to Idaho, said Seth Ruhter, who teaches courses on economics and corporate finance at the College of Idaho.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Nov. 2025
-
As a young man, he was raised by his domineering father (Charles Dance), who sits with him and teaches him about the sciences.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Michelle reflected on how both of her parents instilled confidence in her from a young age which unquestionably informs her style sensibility to date.—
Essence,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Unfortunately, Devnan soon informs Sarah and her parents that there’s no oil on her land.—
Joe Leydon,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Rose tells Shaw that her community is concerned about sacred remains being disturbed.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
In this intimate portrait of life during the exhilarating early days of the women’s liberation movement in Scandinavia in the 1970s, Pernille Ipsen tells the stories of the seven women who raised her, who were all part of the women’s movement in Denmark.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
David M. Ewalt,
Scientific American,
7 Nov. 2025
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Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Painted Turtle, which provides a summer camp experience for kids with serious medical issues, and the Bridge School, which educates children with severe speech and physical disabilities.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lebanon's National Council for Scientific Research, which conducts research and advises the government on policy, has documented almost 500 homes destroyed after the ceasefire in just three border villages and hundreds more houses damaged.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
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Food writer Stephanie Gravalese advises that, with SNAP benefits temporarily paused, an effective way to conserve resources is to take stock of your pantry.—
Ronny Maye,
Essence,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Everyone who orders one from October 27 to October 31 will also earn a $5 reward for their next visit.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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In an exclusive clip from their conversation below, which was shared with PEOPLE before the interview airs, Lara asks Hines how those close to her responded when Kennedy fully embraced MAGA.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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According to court documents, the Marathon County Sheriff's Office notifies ICE of every person booked into the jail who was not born in the United States, and asks if the agency wants a detainer.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Pakistan’s army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, was awarded the rank of Field Marshal, and commands wide public and political support.—
Rafia Zakaria,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The design commands attention with its dramatic proportions.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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