1
as in teaching
to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field spent his military career instructing young pilots
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2
as in informing
to give information to instructed everyone in the use of the new telephone system
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3
as in telling
to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority the proctors instructed everyone to put their pencils down and hand in their tests
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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 instructing Humans have long been able to teach robots how to do individual tasks, but instructing them on these more sophisticated jobs has been an elusive goal, despite billions of dollars invested into robotics. —
Katia Riddle, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026 On March 4, police say classroom-security footage showed Rodriguez instructing the boy and two other students to sit and face her. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 Audio of the exchange captures the controller urgently instructing the smaller aircraft, identified as Skylab 25, to stop before directing the UPS jet to go around. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026 LeVota also retroactively implemented a cap on commercial property values by instructing county staff to manually adjust the 2025 assessments of more than 6,200 spaces. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2026 The council unanimously approved three separate but related motions instructing staff to produce data on various elements of Measure ULA. —City News Service, Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026 Riding on buses and trains in Seoul, Lee encountered electronic signs instructing riders on the etiquette of using public transportation. —Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026 The solution was counterintuitive, with NASA instructing the crew to apply more heat more consistently. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026 Blakey also erred in instructing the jury on the Travel Act by including as predicates state offenses that do not require a quid pro quo. —Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Katia Riddle, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026 On March 4, police say classroom-security footage showed Rodriguez instructing the boy and two other students to sit and face her. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 Audio of the exchange captures the controller urgently instructing the smaller aircraft, identified as Skylab 25, to stop before directing the UPS jet to go around. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026 LeVota also retroactively implemented a cap on commercial property values by instructing county staff to manually adjust the 2025 assessments of more than 6,200 spaces. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2026 The council unanimously approved three separate but related motions instructing staff to produce data on various elements of Measure ULA. —City News Service, Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026 Riding on buses and trains in Seoul, Lee encountered electronic signs instructing riders on the etiquette of using public transportation. —Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026 The solution was counterintuitive, with NASA instructing the crew to apply more heat more consistently. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026 Blakey also erred in instructing the jury on the Travel Act by including as predicates state offenses that do not require a quid pro quo. —Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructing
Verb
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What came next was Ahmed sitting down with Stewart teaching him Urdu swear words.— Amanda Champagne-Meadows, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2026
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McGuire suggested teaching Claude about the Church’s understanding of mercy.— Elias Wachtel, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Inspired by the French, the fragrance was distilled in all the elements informing the perfume, from its name to the juice, which was created by Nadège le Garlantezec blending the likes of pink peppercorn and amirys essence, alongside Ylang Ylang, jasmine extract and vanilla absolute.— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
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The Maplewood building, which is owned by Ramsey County, houses an average of 17 families and has drawn some 494 volunteers this year alone, accounting for nearly 3,000 hours of service, according to Catholic Charities, which began informing longtime volunteers of the situation last week by email.— Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
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What Sam Hoffman built there became the city of Thornton — and a free public exhibit is now telling that story for the first time in a generation.— Anna Alejo, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
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But the sharper books are telling a slightly different story.— Geoff Clark OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fort Worth police also started a campaign in June 2025 to increase patrols in downtown and began educating people about the problem of loud noise.— Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026
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While educating the audience on the world of tea, Creane tells a haunting personal story of losing her emotionally distant father to cancer and seeing up close the collapse of polar ice sheets due to climate change.— Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
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When Labour’s Tony Blair won in a landslide, Hilton co-founded a consulting firm, Good Business, advising corporations on how to make money by investing in social and environmental causes.— National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
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As geopolitical tensions rattle markets and drive sharp swings in stocks, Jefferies is advising investors to lean into companies with strong fundamentals and sturdy dividends.— Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
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The 486 defendants are accused of being members of MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, and accused of ordering more than 47,000 crimes from 2012 to 2022, according to the Salvadoran government.— Marcos Aleman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
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The pistachio cinnamon roll was rich and worth ordering again, but the croissants were the highlight.— Tristan Graziano, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police are asking anyone with information, video or photos of the incident to come forward and call the department tip line at 469-658-3050.— Briauna Brown, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
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Police are asking anyone with additional information to contact the department.— Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The win gives the Lakers a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series with a chance to close it out in Game 4 on Sunday night.— Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
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Rice commanding such a fee was down to Moyes unlocking his full potential.— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instructing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/instructing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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