instance

[ in-stuhns ]

noun

1. a case or occurrence of anything:

   fresh instances of oppression.

2. an example put forth in proof or illustration:

   to cite a few instances.

3. Also called in·stanced dun·geon [in, -st, uh, nst , duhn, -j, uh, n]. (in an online multiplayer video game) a zone, as a dungeon, to which access is limited to a player or group of players entering simultaneously and working together: each instance is one copy of the zone in which the quests, enemies, items, events, etc., are staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from other player characters in the larger online population of the game server.
4. Law. the institution and prosecution of a case.
5. Archaic. urgency in speech or action.
6. Obsolete. an impelling motive.

verb (used with object)

, in·stanced, in·stanc·ing.

1. to cite as an instance or example.
2. to exemplify by an instance.
3. (in an online multiplayer video game) to design (a zone) as a set of identical copies, staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from the larger population of the game server, thereby presenting key narrative elements or achievements in a controlled environment:

   The game developers instanced a winter wonderland with special quests for the holiday event.

verb (used without object)

, in·stanced, in·stanc·ing.

1. to cite an instance.

instance

/ ˈɪnstəns /

noun

1. a case or particular example
2. for instance
   for or as an example
3. a specified stage in proceedings; step (in the phrases in the first, second, etc, instance )
4. urgent request or demand (esp in the phrase at the instance of )
5. logic
   1. an expression derived from another by instantiation
   2. See substitution
6. archaic.
   motive or reason

verb

1. to cite as an example

Other Words From

• coun·ter·in·stance noun
• un·in·stanced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of instance¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English instaunce, from Middle French instance, from Medieval Latin īnstantia “case, example” ( Latin “presence, immediate applicability; earnestness, urgency”); instant, -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of instance¹

C14 (in the sense: case, example): from Medieval Latin instantia example, (in the sense: urgency) from Latin: a being close upon, presence, from instāns pressing upon, urgent; see instant

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at the instance of, at the urging or suggestion of:

   He applied for the assistantship at the instance of his professor.

2. for instance, as an example; for example:

   If you were to go to Italy, for instance, you would get a different perspective on our culture.

More idioms and phrases containing instance

see under for example .

Synonym Study

See case ¹.

Example Sentences

"Closing school is always last resort, but in this instance, it is the only option", it said.

From BBC

Mexican immigrant mothers and their American-born children — seeking basic healthcare at Los Angeles County General Hospital, for instance — were scapegoated as undesirable and deported directly from the hospital.

From Los Angeles Times

In one instance, Grasso alleged the lieutenant referred to her as an “enemy of the platoon,” a label he also applied to Colomey and others.

From Los Angeles Times

Baroque murders aside, and a modicum of genre clichés — an aggressive reporter, for instance, getting in our heroes’ way — it’s rooted in humans being human, and as absurd as everything is to do with Ramsay, the detectives, their families and friends live in a nicely sketched community in a well-drawn, relatively real world.

From Los Angeles Times

The organisation will consider whether to revoke an award for "proven dishonesty, and the very rare instance of a winner being convicted of a serious criminal offence resulting in a prison sentence".

From BBC

Related Words

• detail
• example
• item
• occasion
• occurrence
• particular
• precedent
• proof
• reason