instance
/ˈɪnst(ə)ns
/noun
1An example or single occurrence of something: a serious instance of corruption the search finds every instance where the word appears...
- There are lines of communication and despite a few instances which might suggest otherwise, there's been a cordial relationship going on.
- PorkWatch says there are instances of imported pork and pork products being labelled in ways that might make shoppers think they are British.
- Importantly, these instances show the direction of the road ahead.
Synonyms
example, occasion, occurrence, case, representative case, typical case, case in point, illustration, specimen, sample, exemplar, exemplification
1.1A particular case: in this instance it mattered little...
- In the first instance, take the matter of evaluation of the worth of a teacher.
- The detection in these instances is a matter of minutes, but most of these advanced devices are available only in the military.
- Needless to say, the availability of condoms matters little in these instances.
verb [with object]
Cite (a fact, case, etc.) as an example: I instanced Bob as someone whose commitment had certainly got things done...
- He agreed that there were few houses being built in rural areas, and instanced the case of the man with the house on the mountainside.
- He instanced a case of a woman who borrowed £500 from one of these to attend a funeral down the country.
- In a recent report, Amnesty instanced the case of a farmer from the Shan tribe forced to work by the military.
Synonyms
cite, quote, refer to, make reference to, mention, allude to, adduce, give, give as an example, point to, point out;
specify, name, identify;
bring up, invoke, draw attention to, call attention to, put forward, present, offer, advance, propose
Phrases
at first instance
at the instance of
for instance
in the first (or second etc.) instance
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’.