instantlyin‧stant‧ly /ˈɪnstəntli/ ●●○ adverb 
All four victims died instantly. The information was instantly available.► see thesaurus at immediately
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He knew instantly something was wrong.
- It was a head-on crash and both drivers died instantly.
- Sea snakes inject a poison so strong that it kills a fish instantly.
- They recognized him instantly.
THESAURUS
very soon after something else happens, and without any delay: · Sam immediately offered to help.
immediately – used especially for emphasis: · Remove the pie from the oven and serve at once.· He came home at once when he heard his wife was ill.
(also straightaway British English) especially spoken immediately, especially because something is urgent. Right away and straightaway are less formal than immediately, and are very common in everyday spoken English: · If this happens, let us know right away.· I apologized straightaway.
if something happens instantly, it happens immediately after something else, with almost no time between: · The boy was killed instantly.· The message is sent instantly from your computer.
spoken if someone orders you to do something right now, they want you to do it immediately, especially because they are annoyed with you: · The head teacher wants to see you right now.
immediately, because it is important that you do something as soon as possible: · If you lose your passport, you should contact the embassy without delay.
Longman Language Activatorimmediately after something else happens · We met at a friend's party, and immediately became friends.· There was a loud explosion in the engine-room, and almost immediately a fire broke out.· I'll call you immediately we hear any news about the baby.immediately after/afterwards · We'll have to leave immediately after the meeting.· Mrs Smith was admitted to hospital at 10 o'clock, but died immediately afterwards.
immediately after something has happened or immediately after you have done something: · As soon as Stephen felt well again, he returned to work.· I will pay you back, I promise, the moment I get paid.· Honey, I swear, I'll phone you the moment I get to New York.
immediately after something has happened or someone has done something - use this especially in stories or in descriptions of events: no sooner had...than: · No sooner had they sat down to eat than the phone rang.· No sooner had he arrived in the city than his wallet was stolen.no sooner was/were...than: · No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she regretted them.
also hardly had immediately after an event or action has finished - use this especially in stories or in descriptions of events: · I'd done food shopping and had barely gotten to the door, when Debbie asked if I'd been listening to the radio.· Hardly had the film reached our screens last July than it was plagued by troubles and controversy.
to do something immediately, as soon as you have the chance to do it: lose no time in doing something: · When the new manager was appointed, he lost no time in reorganizing the office.· Murdock lost no time in setting out for London to find work.
at almost the same time that something else happens, and happening as a direct result of it: · Sea snakes inject a poison so strong that it kills a fish instantly.· It was a head-on crash and both drivers died instantly.
written if someone is killed outright , they die immediately from an attack or an accident: · He was killed outright when his car crashed at high speed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES His face was instantly recognizable.
(=as soon as an accident, injury etc happens)· He was shot in the head and died instantly.
(=immediately) The driver was killed instantly.
The driver was killed instantly.· He expected his orders to be obeyed instantly.
His face was instantly recognizable.· ‘No,’ she blurted out, instantly regretting her response.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· With four comms radios instantly available, we switch from McAlpines' company frequency straight to Heathrow.· Yet it is instantly available, unlike official statistics that are always out of date.· It is instantly available, and slides neatly out of sight when not needed.
· So Muthaiga Club is instantly familiar.· The scenery is instantly familiar to fans of her work.· A Shakespeare play is about motives and predicaments and feelings and personalities that are instantly familiar.
· Many have instantly recognisable traits which will help when selecting plants from nurseries and garden centres.· I had put the purple tinsel on to make my case instantly recognisable.· The voice down the line was instantly recognisable, and instantly unwelcome.· Alaia tops, Paul Smith suits, extravagant spectacles: the designers are an instantly recognisable breed.· With its stainless steel body and gull-winged doors, it is one of the most instantly recognisable cars ever built.· And it helps that they look so damned good-and are instantly recognisable in the car park!· The latter will be instantly recognisable by the vibrations you can feel on the line if it is held reasonably tight.· While chairman of the health authority he was instantly recognisable by the fresh, home-grown carnation he wore to work every day.
· He was instantly recognizable in the small but influential circle he kept.· Instead of tables of numbers, computer-based graphics can give instantly recognizable representations of complex relationships.· Given like that it is instantly recognizable.· Among the faces looming out of the night, and through the fog of my exhaustion, my host was instantly recognizable.· All the instantly recognizable roads, houses, trees.
VERB· The line became instantly popular and managements all over the world were impatient to snap them up whenever they were free.· It instantly became a curiosity of rock lore, especially because pictures of the costumed, superstar event were published.· The whole school would instantly become hushed and enthralled by the horror, watching.· Now, for the first time, he saw the translation of the second message, and its meaning became instantly clear.· This does not mean that you will instantly become enfeebled, relying on others to do everything for you.· His 20 points against Oregon State a week ago were just 10 shy of his career total and instantly became Bruin lore.· The financial interests thus gelled into four organizations that soon became instantly recognized household names and logos.· It was here that they were forced to eat beef thereby becoming instantly de-Hinduized.
· Ian died instantly, Mark escaped with cuts and bruises.· The man died instantly and his name was withheld while investigators tried to locate relatives.· He died instantly along with some 15 bystanders.· Police said all four died instantly.· The man, in his late teens or early twenties, died instantly.· The laughter died instantly and everyone waited in expectation.· Most of the bullets struck his head and John Browne died instantly.· Stephanie Kuhen was shot in the head and died instantly.
· She closed her eyes and fell instantly asleep.
· Though the rector had been here but once before, he felt instantly at home.· In the lobby I feel instantly bereft.· Cybil would be writing or looking for something in her notebook, and Simon would feel instantly better.· I feel instantly unsteady on my feet.
· Nadine was killed instantly and Deanne died in hospital four hours later.· Park and Sheena were killed instantly.· The aeroplane crashed and your brother was killed instantly.· Both the Prince and his wife were killed instantly.· Eight of the animals were killed instantly and the other three had to be put down.· What had instantly killed the young Princess of Corinth could not kill Hercules.· Geriatric nurse Susan, 23, was killed instantly.· He was killed instantly, and two others were wounded.
· I knew instantly who the fisherman would be.· For her part, Jacque Price said she knew instantly what had happened after reading the newspaper in March.· He knew instantly which of the fourteen had to be phoned.· I was afraid he would look at me and instantly know what had happened.· She knew instantly, among the bewildering wall of cookery books, the precise one for me.· He saw you in your red suspenders with gold dollar signs and knew instantly who you were.· He knew instantly the driver was intent on killing them.· He knew instantly that the eye had reacted to his presence.
· We go up to the wheel base and Yeb is instantly recognised.· It was a look she recognised instantly, although it was the first time she'd seen it in the flesh.· Roquelaure was recognised instantly by the head waiter who took them straight to a reserved corner table.· It was as though her soul had looked beyond the flesh and instantly recognised its counterpart.· The wine label repeated the same words in a floridly ornate script overprinted on a picture, which Sabine recognised instantly.
· We can, however, instantly recognize the actual instances where rules are broken.· I instantly recognized that every computer user was now potentially a publisher.· It can be instantly recognized by its bright plumage.· Nevertheless, anybody who knows the market for such items would recognize instantly that I stole it.· It is the kind of argument that any businessman in charge of even a medium-sized company would recognize instantly.· The King instantly recognized it and dashed the cup to the ground.
· Not every pathogen will respond instantly to events.· It was to respond instantly to any complaint or grievance regard-less of the merits, and just fight the company.· For the first time during the entire voyage, he failed to respond instantly to a request.
· Upon meeting them you instantly see what they look like, and quickly observe their facial expressions, gestures and body language.· Ronni could see instantly what he meant.· Sorting by date makes the most sense so you can instantly see what's most recent.· Colour-balanced lights mean the surgeon can see instantly any colour changes in the patient.· This can be useful if you're viewing directories and lists, as you can instantly see what you have previously visited.· And she saw instantly that they were taken in Allen's Manhattan apartment.
WORD FAMILYnouninstanceinstantadjectiveinstantinstantaneousadverbinstantlyinstantaneously
immediately: All four victims died instantly. The information was instantly available.► see thesaurus at immediately