How to Use instruct in a Sentence

instruct

verb
Definition of instructnext
Synonyms for instructnext
  • She instructed us that we were to remain in our seats.
  • The judge instructed the jury that they should disregard the testimony of the last witness.
  • She advised him to instruct a solicitor.
  • The full council should now do the same and instruct the zoo to start the process by studying how and where.
    — Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2022
  • He was instructed to pick the curtain rod up over there and put it over there.
    — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2024
  • Some recipes instruct you to bake the brie in an ovenproof serving dish.
    — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 12 Dec. 2022
  • That is, the phrases, idioms and everyday plays-on-words that instruct us to live life to the fullest.
    — Seth Combscontributor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Dec. 2022
  • The employees at these stores are trained to instruct you on how to best use these products.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2023
  • Su’s boss instructs her to lie about his whereabouts on calls from both his wife and his mistress.
    — Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Grayson would instruct candidates when and where to appear for the test.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
  • First, you're instructed to visit your web vault and delete your vault via the Settings menu.
    — PCMAG, 27 Sep. 2024
  • Dealers have been instructed to replace the faulty parts free of charge.
    — Rob Wile, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The act did, though, instruct the agency to continue to weigh whether to ban menthol.
    — Matthew Perrone, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
  • There was that time, in tee ball, when Wyatt’s teammate out-ran him when the coach instructed the players to run to the fence.
    — Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 17 July 2023
  • The alert will also instruct you on how to disable the AirTag by removing the battery.
    — Brandon Widder, The Verge, 25 July 2024
  • The officers also instruct the crowd that has gathered to stand back.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Does a roughneck working on an oil rig need to be instructed to wear steel-toe boots?
    — WSJ, 7 Mar. 2023
  • The user went on to claim that West himself instructed him to share the unauthorized copy of the album.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2024
  • That piece of paper instructs us to pay it forward and boo someone else, all in secret of course.
    — Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 Oct. 2024
  • Those turning in guns were instructed to have the weapons unloaded and in the trunk of their vehicle.
    — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 5 June 2023
  • Other staffers instructed guests to be careful with tulips placed in the cupholder of each seat until they were asked to.
    — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
  • Arrange some Skittles in a circle on a plate and have your elf instruct your kids to pour hot water in the middle.
    — Corinne Sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 11 Nov. 2022
  • In a video shared on the football team's Facebook page, the pastor instructed a player to sit in a large tub full of water.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
  • The police instructed him to get his I.D. card and accompany them to the station.
    — Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
  • You’re instructed to walk down a hall, arriving at the entryway to a home.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
  • The judge then instructed her to answer the yes or no question directly.
    — Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024
  • Testers were then instructed to, throughout the testing period (which was at least six months), sit, nap, and lie on the couch.
    — Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024
  • The court would then decide whether to issue the order, which would instruct the gun owner to surrender their guns for 180 days.
    — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 28 Apr. 2023
  • Hightower, kneading her right shoulder, instructs her to turn her head to the left and look over her shoulder.
    — Lauren Larson, Men's Health, 25 July 2023
  • In a later post, the department instructed people to avoid the area of Dixieland and Hudson roads.
    — Tracy Neal, arkansasonline.com, 4 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instruct.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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