Dictionary

instruct en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈstɹʌkt/ (UK, US)
• /ɪnˈstɹakt/ (Australia)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Latin īnstrūctus, perfect passive participle of īnstruō (“I instruct; I arrange, furnish, or provide”).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable, obsolete) Arranged; furnished; provided.
   • For he had neither ship, instruct with oares, Nor men to fetch him from those stranger shores. c. 1615, George Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses, London: Nathaniell Butter, Book 4, p. 62:
2. (not-comparable, obsolete) Instructed; taught; enlightened.
   • Who ever by consulting at thy shrine Return’d the wiser, or the more instruct To flye or follow what concern’d him most, And run not sooner to his fatal snare? 1671, John Milton, Paradise Regained, London: John Starkey, Book 1, lines 438-441, p. 24:

instruct en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈstɹʌkt/ (UK, US)
• /ɪnˈstɹakt/ (Australia)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Latin īnstrūctus, perfect passive participle of īnstruō (“I instruct; I arrange, furnish, or provide”).

Meanings

1. (obsolete) Instruction.

Forms

instruct en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈstɹʌkt/ (UK, US)
• /ɪnˈstɹakt/ (Australia)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Latin īnstrūctus, perfect passive participle of īnstruō (“I instruct; I arrange, furnish, or provide”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To teach by giving instructions.
   • Listen carefully when someone instructs you how to assemble the furniture.
   • […] I should deem you a man sore sick, it may be, yet not so sick but that an instructed and watchful physician might well hope to cure you. 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “chapter 10”, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
   • 1751, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, No. 156, 14 September, 1751, in Volume 5, London: J. Payne and J. Bouquet, 1752, p. 177, […] the design of tragedy is to instruct by moving the passions,
   • Supply me with the habit and instruct me How I may formally in person bear me Like a true friar. c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
   • At the Laundromat I instruct Chris on how to operate the drier, start the washing machines […] 1974, Robert M[aynard] Pirsig, chapter 29, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow & Company, →ISBN, part 4, page 353:
   • What a dishonour’s this, to me, to have so Dull a Father, that needs to be instructed in his Duty. 1682, Aphra Behn, The False Count, London: Jacob Tonson, act III, scene 2, page 33:
2. (transitive) To tell (someone) what they must or should do.
   • Usage note: "instruct" is less forceful than "order", but weightier than "advise"
   • The doctor instructed me to keep my arm immobilised and begin physiotherapy.
   • What, shall a child instruct you what to do? 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
   • Observing that the Christ Child’s nose was running, she deftly wiped it; then she held the handkerchief in place, while instructing him to “blow.” 1989, John Irving, chapter 5, in A Prayer for Owen Meany, New York: Ballantine, published 1997, page 195:
   • All the servants were instructed to address her as “Mum,” or “Madam” […] 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 39, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
3. (transitive) To give (one's own lawyer) legal instructions as to how they should act in relation to a particular issue; thereby formally appointing them as one's own legal representative in relation to it.
   • If you're not careful, I'm going to instruct a solicitor over this.

Forms

Deriveds

preinstruct · instructer · instructology · uninstructing · instructee · instructability · misinstruct · instructory

Relateds

instructable · uninstructed · instructive · overinstruct · instruction · underinstruct · instructor · instructible · instructress · reinstruct

Synonyms

direct · order · guide · command · educate

Translations (57)

cmn 教育 (teach, give instruction) · es instruir (teach, give instruction) · it istruire (teach, give instruction) · cmn 指示 (teach, give instruction) · fr apprendre (teach, give instruction) · da lære (teach, give instruction) · it insegnare (teach, give instruction) · chr ᏕᎨᏲᎲᏍᎦ (teach, give instruction) · la addoceō (teach, give instruction) · swb usomedza (teach, give instruction) · grc διδάσκω (teach, give instruction) · fr enseigner (teach, give instruction) · fi käskeä (order, direct) · hu tájékoztat (teach, give instruction) · zdj ufundisha (teach, give instruction) · ar لقَّن (teach, give instruction) · eo instrukcii (order, direct) · de instruieren (teach, give instruction) · grc κατηχέω (teach, give instruction) · fi opettaa (teach, give instruction) · fi opastaa (teach, give instruction) · la doceō (teach, give instruction) · da anvise (order, direct) · kw deski (teach, give instruction) · hu tanít (teach, give instruction) · uga 𐎍𐎎𐎄 (teach, give instruction) · txb āks- (teach, give instruction) · bg заповядвам (order, direct) · nl instrueren (teach, give instruction) · de briefen (teach, give instruction) · sa शास्ति (teach, give instruction) · kw dyski (teach, give instruction) · hu utasít (order, direct) · grc μαθητεύω (teach, give instruction) · da instruere (teach, give instruction) · fi ohjata (order, direct) · cmn 指令 (order, direct) · bg обучавам (teach, give instruction) · fi opastaa (order, direct) · cmn 教 (teach, give instruction) · bg инструктирам (teach, give instruction) · cmn 聘請 /聘请 (order, direct) · hu oktat (teach, give instruction) · ru инструкти́ровать (teach, give instruction) · got 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (teach, give instruction) · it apprendere (teach, give instruction) · de anweisen (order, direct) · eo instrui (teach, give instruction) · az təlim etmək (teach, give instruction) · kw adhyski (teach, give instruction) · ota اوكرتمك (teach, give instruction) · fi neuvoa (teach, give instruction) · ca instruir (teach, give instruction) · bg уча (teach, give instruction) · fr instruire (teach, give instruction) · sv instruera (teach, give instruction) · ga teagasc (teach, give instruction)