instance

Syllabification: (in·stance)

Pronunciation: /ˈinstəns/

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Definition of instance

noun

1an example or single occurrence of something:a serious instance of corruption the search finds every instance where the word appears
a particular case:in this instance it mattered little

2 Law, rare the institution of a legal suit.

verb

[with object]

cite (a fact, case, etc.) as an instance or example:here he instances in particular the work of Bach

Phrases

at first instance: Law at the first court hearing concerning a case.
at the instance of: formal at the request or instigation of:prosecution at the instance of the police
for instance: as an example:take Canada, for instance
in the first (or second, etc.) instance: in the first (or second, etc.) place; at the first (or second, etc.) stage of a proceeding:a tribunal should be formed, in the first instance to document these and other charges

Origin:

Middle English: via Old French from Latin instantia 'presence, urgency', from instare 'be present, press upon', from in- 'upon' + stare 'to stand'. The original sense was 'urgency, urgent entreaty', surviving in at the instance of. In the late 16th century the word denoted a particular case cited to disprove a general assertion, derived from medieval Latin instantia 'example to the contrary' (translating Greek enstasis 'objection'); hence the meaning 'single occurrence'

instance in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of instance in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

instance

noun

verb

Phrases

at first instance

at the instance of

for instance

in the first (or second, etc.) instance

Origin:

instance in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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