noun · verb · 18 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈɪnstəns/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH1 N S T AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Urgency of manner or words; an urgent request; insistence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A token; a sign; a symptom or indication.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
That which is urgent; motive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A piece of evidence; a proof or sign (of something).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
An occasion; an order of occurrence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A case offered as an exemplification or a precedent; an illustrative example.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
August 30, 1706, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, at the funeral of Mr. Tho. Bennet most remarkable instances of suffering
sometimes we love those that are absent, saith Philostratus, and gives instance in his friend Athenodorus, that loved a maid at Corinth whom he never saw [...]
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
One of a series of recurring occasions, cases, essentially the same.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
A specific occurrence of something that is created or instantiated, such as a database, or an object of a class in object-oriented programming.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
A dungeon or other area that is duplicated for each player, or each party of players, that enters it, so that each player or party has a private copy of the area, isolated from other players.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
An individual copy of such a dungeon or other area.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
An independent server on a decentralised social network, such as Mastodon.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
verb
Meaning 12
To mention as a case or example; to refer to.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
Near-synonyms: adduce, cite
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: adduce, cite
Antonyms: none provided
13
verb
Meaning 13
To cite an example as proof; to exemplify.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
verb
Meaning 14
To duplicate (a dungeon or other area) for each player, or each party of players, that enters it, so that each player or party has a private copy of the area, isolated from other players.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
verb
Meaning 15
To render (an object) as part of a batch, using the same geometry data.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Borrowed from Middle French instance, from Latin īnstantia (“a being near, presence, also perseverance, earnestness, importunity, urgency”), from īnstāns (“urgent”); see instant.
Across languages
Translations
97 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Hungarian:
kívánság
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Hungarian:
követelés
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Hungarian:
folyamodás
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Hungarian:
kérelem
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Hungarian:
kérés
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Hungarian:
szorgalmazás
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Spanish:
instancia
— (obsolete in English) an urgent request; insistence
Bashkir:
осраҡ
(osraq)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Basque:
adibide
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Belarusian:
пры́клад
(prýklad)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Belarusian:
экзэмпля́р
(ekzempljár)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Belarusian:
асо́бнік
(asóbnik)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Belarusian:
узо́р
(uzór)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Bulgarian:
при́мер
(prímer)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Catalan:
cas
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Catalan:
exemple
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Dutch:
voorbeeld
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Esperanto:
ekzemplo
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Estonian:
näide
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Finnish:
tapaus
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Finnish:
esimerkki
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
French:
instance
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Georgian:
მაგალითი
(magaliti)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Georgian:
ნიმუში
(nimuši)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
German:
Beispiel
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
German:
Fall
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Greek:
περιστατικό
(peristatikó)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Greek:
κρούσμα
(kroúsma)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Hungarian:
eset
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Hungarian:
példa
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Irish:
cás
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Italian:
volta
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Plautdietsch:
Rekjs
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Portuguese:
exemplo
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Quechua:
kuti
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Romanian:
caz
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Romanian:
exemplu
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Russian:
приме́р
(primér)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Russian:
экземпля́р
(ekzɛmpljár)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Russian:
образе́ц
(obrazéc)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Sanskrit:
उदाहरण
(udāharaṇa)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Serbo-Croatian:
primjer
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Serbo-Croatian:
primjerak
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Swedish:
instans
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Swedish:
fall
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Ukrainian:
при́клад
(prýklad)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Ukrainian:
зразо́к
(zrazók)
— case occurring, a case offered as an exemplification, an example
Bashkir:
осраҡ
(osraq)
— recurring occasion, case
Belarusian:
вы́падак
(výpadak)
— recurring occasion, case
Belarusian:
здарэ́нне
(zdarénnje)
— recurring occasion, case
Belarusian:
падзе́я
(padzjéja)
— recurring occasion, case
Belarusian:
інста́нцыя
(instáncyja)
— recurring occasion, case
Bulgarian:
случа́й
(slučáj)
— recurring occasion, case
Bulgarian:
инста́нция
(instáncija)
— recurring occasion, case
Catalan:
cas
— recurring occasion, case
Catalan:
ocasió
— recurring occasion, case
Dutch:
voorval
— recurring occasion, case
Estonian:
juhtum
— recurring occasion, case
Georgian:
შემთხვევა
(šemtxveva)
— recurring occasion, case
Greek:
περίπτωση
(períptosi)
— recurring occasion, case
Greek:
φορά
(forá)
— recurring occasion, case
Hungarian:
előfordulás
— recurring occasion, case
Hungarian:
példány
— recurring occasion, case
Norwegian Bokmål:
forekomst
— recurring occasion, case
Plautdietsch:
Rekjs
— recurring occasion, case
Polish:
zdarzenie
— recurring occasion, case
Polish:
okazja
— recurring occasion, case
Portuguese:
ocorrência
— recurring occasion, case
Portuguese:
ocasião
— recurring occasion, case
Romanian:
întâmplare
— recurring occasion, case
Romanian:
circumstanță
— recurring occasion, case
Romanian:
incident
— recurring occasion, case
Romanian:
ocazie
— recurring occasion, case
Russian:
слу́чай
(slúčaj)
— recurring occasion, case
Slovak:
príhoda
— recurring occasion, case
Ottoman Turkish:
سفر
(sifr)
— recurring occasion, case
Ukrainian:
ви́падок
(výpadok)
— recurring occasion, case
Ukrainian:
поді́я
(podíja)
— recurring occasion, case
Ukrainian:
інста́нція
(instáncija)
— recurring occasion, case
Belarusian:
экзэмпля́р
(ekzempljár)
— in computing
