instance

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Related to instance: Instance variable, Database instance

instance

an occurrence of something; an example: The fistfight was an instance of student discord.

Not to be confused with:

instants – very brief time periods; almost imperceptible moments: We experience only instants of pure joy.

in·stance

(ĭn′stəns)

a. An example that is cited to prove or invalidate a contention or illustrate a point. See Synonyms at example.

b. A case or an occurrence: In all such instances, let conscience be your guide.

2. A step in a process or series of events: You should apply in the first instance to the personnel manager.

a. A suggestion or request: called at the instance of his attorney.

b. Archaic Urgent solicitation or entreaty.

tr.v. in·stanced, in·stanc·ing, in·stanc·es

1. To offer as an example; cite: "I assured her that I was interested in garbage, and instanced the fact that I had once been a garbage inspector myself" (Jane Addams).

2. To demonstrate or show by an example; exemplify: "how absurd it often is to cite a single line from ... a poem for the purpose of instancing the perfection or imperfection of the line's rhythm" (Edgar Allan Poe).

Idiom:

for instance

As an example; for example.

[Middle English instaunce, from Old French instance, request, instant, and from Medieval Latin īnstantia, example, both from Latin, presence, from īnstāns, īnstant-, present; see instant.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

instance

(ˈɪnstəns)

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) logic

a. an expression derived from another by instantiation

b. See substitution^4b

6. archaic motive or reason

vb (tr)

to cite as an example

[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]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•stance

(ˈɪn stəns)

n., v. -stanced, -stanc•ing. n.

1. a case or occurrence of something: fresh instances of oppression.

2. an example put forth in proof or illustration: to cite a few instances.

3. the institution and prosecution of a legal case.

4. Archaic. urgency in speech or action.

5. Obs. an impelling motive.

v.t.

6. to cite as an instance or example.

7. to exemplify by an instance.

v.i.

8. to cite an instance.

Idioms:

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

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

[1300–50; Middle English < Latin instantia presence, urgency (Medieval Latin: case, example)]

instance

Past participle: instanced
Gerund: instancing

Imperative
instance
instance

Present
I instance
you instance
he/she/it instances
we instance
you instance
they instance

Preterite
I instanced
you instanced
he/she/it instanced
we instanced
you instanced
they instanced

Present Continuous
I am instancing
you are instancing
he/she/it is instancing
we are instancing
you are instancing
they are instancing

Present Perfect
I have instanced
you have instanced
he/she/it has instanced
we have instanced
you have instanced
they have instanced

Past Continuous
I was instancing
you were instancing
he/she/it was instancing
we were instancing
you were instancing
they were instancing

Past Perfect
I had instanced
you had instanced
he/she/it had instanced
we had instanced
you had instanced
they had instanced

Future
I will instance
you will instance
he/she/it will instance
we will instance
you will instance
they will instance

Future Perfect
I will have instanced
you will have instanced
he/she/it will have instanced
we will have instanced
you will have instanced
they will have instanced

Future Continuous
I will be instancing
you will be instancing
he/she/it will be instancing
we will be instancing
you will be instancing
they will be instancing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been instancing
you have been instancing
he/she/it has been instancing
we have been instancing
you have been instancing
they have been instancing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been instancing
you will have been instancing
he/she/it will have been instancing
we will have been instancing
you will have been instancing
they will have been instancing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been instancing
you had been instancing
he/she/it had been instancing
we had been instancing
you had been instancing
they had been instancing

Conditional
I would instance
you would instance
he/she/it would instance
we would instance
you would instance
they would instance

Past Conditional
I would have instanced
you would have instanced
he/she/it would have instanced
we would have instanced
you would have instanced
they would have instanced

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	instance - an occurrence of something; "it was a case of bad judgment"; "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is always the famous example of the Smiths" case, example happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent - an event that happens humiliation, mortification - an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect; "he had to undergo one humiliation after another" bit, piece - an instance of some kind; "it was a nice piece of work"; "he had a bit of good luck" time, clip - an instance or single occasion for some event; "this time he succeeded"; "he called four times"; "he could do ten at a clip"
	2.	instance - an item of information that is typical of a class or group; "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10" example, illustration, representative information - knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction apology, excuse - a poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile" exception - an instance that does not conform to a rule or generalization; "all her children were brilliant; the only exception was her last child"; "an exception tests the rule" case in point, precedent - an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time quintessence - the most typical example or representative of a type sample - a small part of something intended as representative of the whole specimen - an example regarded as typical of its class
Verb	1.	instance - clarify by giving an example of illustrate, exemplify elaborate, expatiate, expound, lucubrate, dilate, flesh out, exposit, enlarge, expand - add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation"

instance

noun

1. example, case, occurrence, occasion, sample, illustration, precedent, case in point, exemplification a serious instance of corruption

2. insistence, demand, urging, pressure, stress, application, request, prompting, impulse, behest, incitement, instigation, solicitation, entreaty, importunity The meeting was organised at the instance of two senior ministers.

verb

1. name, mention, identify, point out, advance, quote, finger (informal, chiefly U.S.), refer to, point to, cite, specify, invoke, allude to, adduce, namecheck, namedrop She could have instanced many women who fitted this description.

for instance for example, e.g., to illustrate, as an illustration, by way of illustration, exempli gratia (Latin), to cite an instance Let your child make his own decisions sometimes. For instance, let him choose which clothes to wear.

in the first instance initially, at first, to begin with, first, firstly, originally, primarily, at the start, at the outset, in the early stages, at or in the beginning The post was for one year in the first instance.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

instance

noun

1. One that is representative of a group or class:

case, example, illustration, representative, sample, specimen.

2. A legal proceeding to demand justice or enforce a right:

action, case, cause, lawsuit, suit.

3. Archaic. Urgent solicitation:

insistence, insistency, pressing.

verb

1. To refer to by name:

cite, mention, name, specify.

2. To demonstrate and clarify with examples:

exemplify, illustrate.

Translations

حَالَةٌمَثَل، شاهِد

příkladpřípad

eksempeltilfælde

Beispiel Fall Instanz

περίπτωση

ejemplo caso

juhtumnäide

esimerkkiinstanssitapaus

exemple instance

slučaj

dæmi; atvik, tilfelli

esempio istanza per esempio richiesta caso

事例

예

atvejis

gadījumspiemērs

geval voorbeeld voorval

eksempel

przykład

exemplo instância ocasião ocorrência

случай

na primerprimer

exempel

ตัวอย่าง

örnek misal

ví dụ

例子实例

instance

[ˈɪnstəns]

A. N

1. (= example) → ejemplo m
for instance → por ejemplo

2. (= case) → caso m
in that instance → en ese caso
in many instances → en muchos casos
in the present instance → en el caso presente
in the first instance → en primer lugar

3. (Jur) at the instance of → a instancia or petición de

B. VT (= exemplify) → citar como ejemplo
this is perhaps best instanced by → quizás esto queda mejor ilustrado por ...

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

instance

[ˈɪnstəns] n

(= case, occurrence) → cas m
in many instances → dans bien des cas
in that instance → dans ce cas
in this instance → dans le cas qui nous occupe
in the first instance → dans un premier temps
The post was for one year in the first instance → Le poste était pour un an dans un premier temps.

for instance → par exemple

at sb's instance (formal) (= at someone's request) → sur l'instance de qn

instance

(= example) → Beispiel nt; (= case) → Fall m; for instance → zum Beispiel; as an instance of → als (ein) Beispiel für; in many instances → in vielen Fällen; there have been many instances of people refusing to go → es hat viele Fälle gegeben, in denen Leute es abgelehnt haben zu gehen; in the first instance → zuerst or zunächst (einmal); the appointment will be for two years in the first instance → die Anstellung ist zunächst auf zwei Jahre befristet; this is a good instance of the way … → das ist ein gutes Beispiel dafür, wie …

at the instance of (form) → auf Ersuchen or Betreiben (+gen) (form), → auf Veranlassung von

(Jur) court of first instance → erste Instanz

(= exemplify) → Beispiele anführen für

(= cite) cost, example → anführen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

instance

[ˈɪnstəns] n (example) → esempio, caso
for instance → per or ad esempio
in that instance → in quel caso
in the first instance → in primo luogo

instance

(ˈinstəns) noun

an example, especially of a condition or circumstance. As a social worker, he saw many instances of extreme poverty.

for instance

for example. Some birds, penguins for instance, cannot fly at all.

instance

→ حَالَةٌ případ tilfælde Fall περίπτωση ejemplo esimerkki exemple slučaj esempio 事例 예 geval eksempel przykład exemplo случай exempel ตัวอย่าง örnek ví dụ 实例

References in classic literature ?

A new word can be added to an existing language by a mere convention, as is done, for instance, with new scientific terms.

In considering what words mean, it is natural to start with proper names, and we will again take "Napoleon" as our instance. We commonly imagine, when we use a proper name, that we mean one definite entity, the particular individual who was called "Napoleon." But what we know as a person is not simple.

View in context

There are three different ways in which two states may be blended and joined together; for, in the first place, all those rules may be adopted which the laws of each of them have ordered; as for instance in the judicial department, for in an oligarchy the rich are fined if they do not come to the court as jurymen, but the poor are not paid for their attendance; but in democracies they are, while the rich are not fined for their neglect.

View in context

So that the man who should, for instance, go openly and knowingly in opposition to all that list would to your thinking, and indeed mine, too, of course, be an obscurantist or an absolute madman: would not he?

as to affirm, for instance, following Buckle, that through civilisation mankind becomes softer, and consequently less bloodthirsty and less fitted for warfare.

View in context

Substance, in the truest and primary and most definite sense of the word, is that which is neither predicable of a subject nor present in a subject; for instance, the individual man or horse.

For instance, 'man' is predicted of the individual man.

View in context

And yet we could name certain modern churches in London, for instance, to which posterity may well look back puzzled.--Could these exquisitely pondered buildings have been indeed works of the nineteenth century?

View in context

Though the long period of a Southern whaling voyage (by far the longest of all voyages now or ever made by man), the peculiar perils of it, and the community of interest prevailing among a company, all of whom, high or low, depend for their profits, not upon fixed wages, but upon their common luck, together with their common vigilance, intrepidity, and hard work; though all these things do in some cases tend to beget a less rigorous discipline than in merchantmen generally; yet, never mind how much like an old Mesopotamian family these whalemen may, in some primitive instances, live together; for all that, the punctilious externals, at least, of the quarter-deck are seldom materially relaxed, and in no instance done away.

View in context

For instance, what has made you go and take the room which you have done, where you will be worried and disturbed, and where you have neither elbow-space nor comfort--you who love solitude, and never like to have any one near you?

View in context

Which concludes the first book; with an instance of ingratitude, which, we hope, will appear unnatural.

View in context

I may add, that as some organisms will breed most freely under the most unnatural conditions (for instance, the rabbit and ferret kept in hutches), showing that their reproductive system has not been thus affected; so will some animals and plants withstand domestication or cultivation, and vary very slightly--perhaps hardly more than in a state of nature.