instruct


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

in·struct

 (ĭn-strŭkt′)
v. in·struct·ed, in·struct·ing, in·structs
v.tr.
1. To give orders to; direct: instructed the children to hang up their coats.
2. To provide with knowledge; to train or inform: instructed the students in algebra. See Synonyms at teach.
v.intr.
To serve as an instructor.

[Middle English instructen, from Latin īnstruere, īnstrūct-, to prepare, instruct : in-, on; see in-2 + struere, to build; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]
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.

instruct

(ɪnˈstrʌkt)
vb (tr)
1. to direct to do something; order
2. to teach (someone) how to do (something)
3. to furnish with information; apprise
4. (Law) law chiefly
a. (esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information to
b. to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person's behalf: to instruct counsel.
[C15: from Latin instruere to construct, set in order, equip, teach, from struere to build]
inˈstructible adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•struct

(ɪnˈstrʌkt)

v.t.
1. to furnish with knowledge, esp. by a systematic method; teach; train; educate.
2. to furnish with orders or directions; direct; order; command.
3. to furnish with information; inform; apprise.
4. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration.
[1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin instruere to equip, train, set in order =in- in2 + struere to put together]
in•struct′ed•ly, adv.
in•struct′ed•ness, n.
in•struct′i•ble, adj.
syn: See teach.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

instruct

If you instruct someone to do something, you tell them to do it. When instruct has this meaning, it is followed by an object and a 'to'-infinitive.

The judge instructed them to keep silent.
General Geldenhuys has instructed me to take a full statement from you.

You do not use 'instruct' like this without an object. You do not say, for example, 'He instructed to take the prisoners away'. Instead you can say 'He gave instructions for the prisoners to be taken away' or 'He gave instructions that the prisoners should be taken away'.

She gave instructions for Lady Illingworth to be cremated.
You had given instructions that physical force should if necessary be used.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

instruct


Past participle: instructed
Gerund: instructing

Imperative
instruct
instruct
Present
I instruct
you instruct
he/she/it instructs
we instruct
you instruct
they instruct
Preterite
I instructed
you instructed
he/she/it instructed
we instructed
you instructed
they instructed
Present Continuous
I am instructing
you are instructing
he/she/it is instructing
we are instructing
you are instructing
they are instructing
Present Perfect
I have instructed
you have instructed
he/she/it has instructed
we have instructed
you have instructed
they have instructed
Past Continuous
I was instructing
you were instructing
he/she/it was instructing
we were instructing
you were instructing
they were instructing
Past Perfect
I had instructed
you had instructed
he/she/it had instructed
we had instructed
you had instructed
they had instructed
Future
I will instruct
you will instruct
he/she/it will instruct
we will instruct
you will instruct
they will instruct
Future Perfect
I will have instructed
you will have instructed
he/she/it will have instructed
we will have instructed
you will have instructed
they will have instructed
Future Continuous
I will be instructing
you will be instructing
he/she/it will be instructing
we will be instructing
you will be instructing
they will be instructing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been instructing
you have been instructing
he/she/it has been instructing
we have been instructing
you have been instructing
they have been instructing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been instructing
you will have been instructing
he/she/it will have been instructing
we will have been instructing
you will have been instructing
they will have been instructing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been instructing
you had been instructing
he/she/it had been instructing
we had been instructing
you had been instructing
they had been instructing
Conditional
I would instruct
you would instruct
he/she/it would instruct
we would instruct
you would instruct
they would instruct
Past Conditional
I would have instructed
you would have instructed
he/she/it would have instructed
we would have instructed
you would have instructed
they would have instructed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.instruct - impart skills or knowledge to; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat"
train, educate, prepare, develop - create by training and teaching; "The old master is training world-class violinists"; "we develop the leaders for the future"
indoctrinate - teach doctrines to; teach uncritically; "The Moonies indoctrinate their disciples"
drill - teach by repetition
catechise, catechize - give religious instructions to
reinforce, reward - strengthen and support with rewards; "Let's reinforce good behavior"
spoonfeed - teach without challenging the students; "This professor spoonfeeds his students"
induct - introduce or initiate; "The young geisha was inducted into the ways of her profession"
mentor - serve as a teacher or trusted counselor; "The famous professor mentored him during his years in graduate school"; "She is a fine lecturer but she doesn't like mentoring"
tutor - be a tutor to someone; give individual instruction; "She tutored me in Spanish"
unteach - cause to disbelieve; teach someone the contrary of what he or she had learned earlier
unteach - cause to unlearn; "teach somebody to unlearn old habits or methods"
ground - instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
lecture, talk - deliver a lecture or talk; "She will talk at Rutgers next week"; "Did you ever lecture at Harvard?"
inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights"
coach, train - teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports; "He is training our Olympic team"; "She is coaching the crew"
edify, enlighten - make understand; "Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal"
condition - establish a conditioned response
2.instruct - give instructions or directions for some task; "She instructed the students to work on their pronunciation"
order, enjoin, tell, say - give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed"
charge - instruct or command with authority; "The teacher charged the children to memorize the poem"
charge - instruct (a jury) about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence
3.instruct - make aware of; "Have the students been apprised of the tuition hike?"
direct - give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction; "I directed them towards the town hall"
brief - give essential information to someone; "The reporters were briefed about the President's plan to invade"
inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

instruct

verb
1. order, tell, direct, charge, bid, command, mandate, enjoin They have instructed solicitors to sue for compensation.
2. teach, school, train, direct, coach, guide, discipline, educate, drill, tutor, enlighten, give lessons in He instructs family members in nursing techniques.
3. tell, advise, inform, counsel, notify, brief, acquaint, apprise Instruct them that they've got three months to get it sorted out.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

instruct

verb
1. To impart knowledge and skill to:
2. To give orders to:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُعْطي تَعْليماتيُعَلِّمُيُعَلِّم، يُدَرِّب
dát pokynnaříditpoučitvyučovat
instruereundervisegive besked om
neuvoa
uputiti
gefa fyrirmælikenna, leiîbeina
指示する
교육하다
informatyviaiinformatyvumasinstruktoriuspaliepimaspamokomai
apmācītdot norādījumusinstruēt
poučiťvyučovať
dati napotkenaročiti
instruera
แนะนำ
hướng dẫn

instruct

[ɪnˈstrʌkt] VT
1. (= teach) to instruct sb in sthenseñar algo a algn, instruir a algn en algo
2. (= order) to instruct sb to do sthmandar or ordenar a algn que haga algo
we were instructed to stay where we werese nos ordenó que permaneciéramos donde estábamos
3. (Brit) [+ solicitor, barrister] → dar instrucciones a, instruir
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

instruct

[ɪnˈstrʌkt] vt
(= direct) [+ person] → donner des instructions à
to instruct sb to do sth → donner l'ordre à qn de faire qch
She instructed us to wait outside → Elle nous a donné l'ordre d'attendre dehors.
(= teach) → enseigner
to instruct sb in sth → enseigner qch à qn, instruire qn dans qch
He instructed her in the arts of lovemaking → Il lui a enseigné l'art de l'amour., Il l'a instruite dans l'art de l'amour.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

instruct

vt
(= teach) personunterrichten; to instruct somebody in the use of a machinejdn in der Handhabung einer Maschine unterweisen
(= tell, direct) personanweisen; (= command)die Anweisung erteilen (+dat); (Brit Jur) solicitor (= give information to)unterrichten, instruieren; (= appoint) lawyerbeauftragen; juryinstruieren, belehren; I’ve been instructed to report to youich habe (An)weisung, Ihnen Meldung zu erstatten; what were you instructed to do?welche Instruktionen or Anweisungen haben Sie bekommen?
(form: = inform) → in Kenntnis setzen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

instruct

[ɪnˈstrʌkt] vt
a. (teach) → istruire
to instruct sb in sth/in how to do sth → insegnare qc a qn/a qn come fare qc
b. (order) to instruct sb to do sthdare istruzioni or ordini a qn di fare qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

instruct

(inˈstrakt) verb
1. to teach or train (a person in a subject or skill). Girls as well as boys should be instructed in woodwork.
2. to order or direct (a person especially to do something). He was instructed to come here at nine o'clock; I have already instructed you how to cook the meat.
inˈstruction (-ʃən) noun
1. the act of instructing (especially in a school subject or a skill) or the process of being instructed. She sometimes gives instruction in gymnastics.
2. an order or direction. You must learn to obey instructions.
3. (in plural) (a book etc giving) directions, eg about the use of a machine etc. Could I look at the instructions, please?
inˈstructive (-tiv) adjective
giving knowledge or information. He gave an instructive talk about electrical repair work.
inˈstructively adverb
inˈstructiveness noun
inˈstructorfeminine inˈstructress noun
a person who gives instruction (in a skill etc). a ski-instructor.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

instruct

يُعَلِّمُ dát pokyn instruere anweisen διδάσκω dar instrucciones neuvoa instruire uputiti ordinare 指示する 교육하다 opdragen instruere dać wskazówki instruir инструктировать instruera แนะนำ talimat vermek hướng dẫn 指示
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

instruct

v. instruir, enseñar, dar instrucciones.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
He told them he doubted they were but indifferent Christians themselves; that they had but little knowledge of God or of His ways, and, therefore, he could not expect that they had said much to their wives on that head yet; but that unless they would promise him to use their endeavours with their wives to persuade them to become Christians, and would, as well as they could, instruct them in the knowledge and belief of God that made them, and to worship Jesus Christ that redeemed them, he could not marry them; for he would have no hand in joining Christians with savages, nor was it consistent with the principles of the Christian religion, and was, indeed, expressly forbidden in God's law.
My mistress, who had kindly commenced to instruct me, had, in compliance with the advice and direc- tion of her husband, not only ceased to instruct, but had set her face against my being instructed by any one else.
As we could not go to court before November, we resolved, that we might not be idle, to preach and instruct the people in the country; in pursuance of this resolution I was sent to a mountain, two days' journey distant from Maigoga.
"And have I suffered such a fellow as this," cries the doctor, in a passion, "to instruct me?
The curiosity and impatience of my master were so great, that he spent many hours of his leisure to instruct me.
What readers ask nowadays in a book is that it should improve, instruct, and elevate.
Hutchinson's lectures soon caused a great disturbance; for the ministers of Boston did not think it safe and proper that a woman should publicly instruct the people in religious doctrines.
And there are no teachers in the higher sense of the word; that is to say, no real teachers who will arouse the spirit of enquiry in their pupils, and not merely instruct them in rhetoric or impart to them ready- made information for a fee of 'one' or of 'fifty drachms.' Plato is desirous of deepening the notion of education, and therefore he asserts the paradox that there are no educators.
From these things, I began to instruct him in the knowledge of the true God; I told him that the great Maker of all things lived up there, pointing up towards heaven; that He governed the world by the same power and providence by which He made it; that He was omnipotent, and could do everything for us, give everything to us, take everything from us; and thus, by degrees, I opened his eyes.
The child, for example, who has been instructed in the elements of arithmetic, and has made a particular addition, according to rule, may be assured that he has found, with respect to the sum of the numbers before him, and that in this instance is within the reach of human genius.
A trustworthy person, whom I have myself instructed, will start for Allonby to-day, and as soon as I receive any news from him, you shall hear of it by special messenger.
There is also one sort of knowledge proper for a master, another for a slave; the slave's is of the nature of that which was taught by a slave at Syracuse; for he for a stipulated sum instructed the boys in all the business of a household slave, of which there are various sorts to be learnt, as the art of cookery, and other such-like services, of which some are allotted to some, and others to others; some employments being more honourable, others more necessary; according to the proverb, "One slave excels another, one master excels another:" in such-like things the knowledge of a slave consists.