instruments

plural of instrument
1
as in certificates
a written or printed paper giving information about or proof of something a valid will is a legal instrument

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
4
as in tools
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another the claim that the scientists are mere instruments of the tobacco companies, who pay them to produce findings that are highly suspect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instruments She was classically trained on the piano starting at age 4 and plays over 20 other instruments, including the mountain dulcimer, banjo, folk harp and balalaika, according to her bio. Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025 They are also equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) instruments to improve detection and tracking of ships. Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025 By 1974, though, many women had already discarded those notions as instruments of domination, psychic equivalents of the whalebone corset. James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 An associate scientist at the University of Miami, Hazelton was processing the data flowing in from the weather instruments being dropped into the storm. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025 Across the street from the temple, a sprawl of vendors sold clothing, jewelry, toys, fabric and instruments. Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025 All four musicians play a variety of instruments across the record, while Cook lent a hand in engineering and production. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 Once used by shepherds to call cows from the pastures, the long, conical instruments are now used in folk music, brought out for celebrations. Lucy Kehoe, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025 And the rise of insurance money in investing has created patient capital that in many cases fits those money holes better than blunter instruments. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instruments
Noun
  • Consider adding to your skills by taking free and inexpensive upskilling courses like Google’s career certificates.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
  • None require education beyond an associate degree, though many require postsecondary certificates or licensure.
    Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Since launching in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has remained one of the most popular games on mobile devices, accruing millions of daily players.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
  • On the hardware side over 10+ million devices have been built around a recovery phrase by default, entrenching a market expectation in which seed phrases are the go-to recovery method, even as some vendors add alternatives.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • New data science tools are rapidly improving the speed and accuracy of detecting slight changes.
    Matthew W. Kreuter, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Despite over a century of investigation, there is still no cure, but advances in diagnostic tools, treatments and preventive strategies continue to offer hope for slowing the disease and improving quality of life for patients and caregivers.
    The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Ravagli underscored that each phase of the project has been audited externally and received the appropriate certifications.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, has earned multiple sustainability certifications thanks to its environmental and social initiatives.
    Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In addition to WeRide and Pony AI, Baidu is also expanding its robotaxi offerings through its Apollo Go vehicles.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Keep a distance from high profile vehicles such as trucks, buses and vehicles towing trailers.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The others are just underwritten pawns in a contrived mystery.
    Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Stop using veterans as pawns & reopen the government.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The problem is that the objective optimized by the algorithm is good for the people who control the means of prediction…but not good for the rest of society.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Then Vice President Cheney condemned those behind the torture scandal, while at the same time defending water-boarding as a useful means of extracting vital intelligence (many intelligence experts say water-boarding is torture, and its victims will say anything to avoid further abuse).
    Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Polls show that economic impacts are driving the voting bloc the most and Latino businesses across the country, from Miami to Los Angeles, are seeing a drop in foot traffic because of ICE agents targeting their communities.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
  • But in 1991, federal agents charged him with lying and continuing to traffic drugs.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instruments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instruments. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on instruments

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!