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

In one instance, Milhouse relayed that his mother “says solving riddles is an asthma trigger.”

From New York Times

For instance, it took Titanji 5 to 6 years to find the people she really wanted to follow on Twitter, she says.

From Science Magazine

The FAW asked families to report any "potential illegal activity to police in the first instance", but also encouraged them to get in touch for support.

From BBC

In one instance when a Black woman suffered postpartum hemorrhaging, “management of her bleeding appeared severely delayed” and out of step with Cedars-Sinai guidelines, the letter said.

From Los Angeles Times

The Aleppo pine, for instance, is a fast-growing species found throughout the western Mediterranean, Greece and parts of the Levant, including northeastern portions of historical Palestine.

From Salon

Related Words

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