Meaning & use
instance
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Meanings
nouncountable
One example of a particular kind of thing or event.
Grammar: Often followed by of: an instance of fraud.
Patterns
- an instance of something
- for instance
There was one instance of cheating in the whole class.
Each instance of the error was recorded.
The report lists several instances of delays at the airport.
nounfixed phrase
A particular case or stage in a process, used in set phrases such as in the first instance.
Grammar: Appears in set phrases: in the first instance, in this instance.
Patterns
- in the first instance
- in this instance
In the first instance, please contact your teacher.
In this instance, the rule does not apply.
Apologies are due, in the first instance, to the patient.
nouncountablecomputingtechnical
In computing, a single copy of a program, object or process that is running.
Grammar: Countable: each instance of the class.
Patterns
- create an instance of something
The program opens a new instance each time you click the icon.
Each instance of the object stores its own data.
Close the other instance of the app.
verbtransitiveformalold-fashioned
To mention something as an example.
Grammar: Takes an object: instance a case.
Patterns
- instance something as something
She instanced the new bridge as proof of the city's growth.
He instanced three failures in the plan.
The author instances many famous cases.
Word forms
| plural | instances |
|---|---|
| third person singular | instances |
| past tense | instanced |
| past participle | instanced |
| -ing form | instancing |
Common combinations
- for instance
- Some fruits, for instance mangoes, need warm weather.
- in this instance
- In this instance, I agree with you.
- in the first instance
- Send your complaint to the manager in the first instance.
- isolated instance
- It was an isolated instance of bad service.
- in many instances
- In many instances, the fault was human error.
- instance of
- This is a clear instance of bad planning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- example
- Example is the everyday word for something that illustrates a point, while instance is more formal and stresses a single occurrence.
- case
- Case suggests a situation to be examined, as in a legal or medical case, but instance is just one occurrence.
- occurrence
- Occurrence stresses that something happened, whereas instance can be a sample of any kind.
- illustration
- An illustration is chosen to explain a point, while an instance simply exists.
Word family
- instant noun
- a very short moment
- instantly adverb
- immediately
- instantiate verb
- to create an instance of something, especially in programming
Commonly confused: instance or instants?
instance vs instants
An instant is a brief moment, but an instance is an example or case; the two words are similar in sound but unrelated in meaning.
Practice
Many animals use tools; ___, crows bend wire into hooks.
Choose one answer.
For instance introduces an example, which is what the second clause gives. In the first instance refers to a first step, and the others do not introduce examples.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “instance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.