Other Word Forms
- instiller noun
- instillment noun
- preinstill verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of instill
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin instillāre, equivalent to in- in- 2 + stillāre “to drip”; distill
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Part of our job is to show them information that helps instill some confidence. I think that really landed with Will.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
Blank, however, says that there’s not necessarily “a huge desire among Democratic voters to instill more Christianity into their politics.”
From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026
Setting up tax-advantaged 529 accounts for your grandchildren will do more than just help pay for their education, it will instill in them the expectation that they will have a college education.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025
Athletics instill discipline, teamwork and resilience: values that stick with you long after the whistle blows.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
Yet again, I am reminded of how my generation has failed to instill in our children what is truly possible.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
