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Instance I People ˈɪnstəns Website Users Report Highlights

Word instance
WordType (noun)
Phonetic BrE / ˈɪnstəns / NAmE / ˈɪnstəns /
Example
  • the report highlights a number of instances of injustice.
  • in most instances, there will be no need for further treatment.
  • i would normally suggest taking time off work, but in this instance i'm not sure that would do any good.
  • can you give me an example of what you mean?
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Content

instance

(noun)BrE / ˈɪnstəns / NAmE / ˈɪnstəns /
  1. a particular example or case of something
    • The report highlights a number of instances of injustice.
    • In most instances, there will be no need for further treatment.
    • I would normally suggest taking time off work, but in this instance I'm not sure that would do any good.
    • Can you give me an example of what you mean?
    • In some cases people have had to wait several weeks for an appointment.
    • The report highlights a number of instances of injustice.
    • The aquarium has some interesting specimens of unusual tropical fish.
    • The statistics are a clear illustration of the point I am trying to make.
  2. for example
    • What would you do, for instance, if you found a member of staff stealing?
    • The website has a variety of interactive exercises (e.g. matching games, crosswords and quizzes).
    • The website has a variety of interactive exercises, including matching games, crosswords and quizzes.
    • Web 2.0 technologies, such as wikis, blogs and social networking sites, have changed the way that people use the Internet.
    • Many websites now allow users to contribute information. A good example of this is the ‘wiki’, a type of website that anyone can edit.
    • Wikis vary in how open they are. For example, some wikis allow anybody to edit content, while others only allow registered users to do this.
    • Wikis vary in how open they are. Some wikis, for example/for instance, allow anybody to edit content, while others only allow registered users to do this.
    • More and more people read their news on the Internet. To take one example, over 14 million people now read the online version of ‘The Oxford Herald’.
    • Online newspapers are now more popular than paper ones. ‘The Oxford Herald’ is a case in point. Its print circulation has fallen in recent years, while its website attracts millions of users every month.
  3. as the first part of a series of actions
    • In the first instance, notify the police and then contact your insurance company.

    Extra Examples

    • Experts cite the country as an instance where human rights violations could lead to international intervention.
    • Further information is required to determine the correct answer in any given instance.
    • I cannot recall any other instance in modern times in which a huge and mighty state crumbled to dust.
    • In one instance, several people had their mobile phones stolen.
    • In the first instance, a letter from your employer may be all you need.
    • It is not always helpful to draw analogies between sexism and racism, but in this instance it is useful.
    • It is not always helpful to draw analogies, but in this instance it is useful.
    • Murder, petty theft and tax evasion, for instance, all have different motives and consequences.
    • North America provides the most striking instance of European settlement on a grand scale.
    • Students described many instances in which they had felt uncomfortable speaking in class.
    • There are many documented instances of mass hysteria.
    • This instance shows how important it is to check that the machine is working properly before you use it.
    • This is a classic instance of Dostoevsky’s writing operating on two levels.
    • This is an instance of his general attitude to his employees.
    • This is one of the few instances where the director does not succeed.
    • To take a particular instance of this problem:…
    • I would normally suggest taking time off work, but in this instance I’m not sure that would do any good.
    • What would you do, for instance, if you found an employee stealing.

    Word Origin

    • late 16th cent. (in its current sense): from medieval Latin instantia ‘example to the contrary’ (translating Greek enstasis ‘objection’); hence the meaning “single occurrence”.
Copyright This card's content is collected from the following dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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