INSTRUCTS Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

instructs

verb

present tense third-person singular of instruct

as in teaches

to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field spent his military career instructing young pilots

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in informs

to give information to instructed everyone in the use of the new telephone system

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tells

to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority the proctors instructed everyone to put their pencils down and hand in their tests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of instructs The Gap Between Agreement And Action Most change guidance instructs leaders how to gain commitment. — John Radman, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Using this simple sequence, Grok then follows the command as soon as the user instructs the assistant to summarize the page. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026 The voiceover instructs the user on how to plug it in before first use, turn it on, and get the headset up and running. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026 The man composes his responses with the help of a manual that instructs him on which incoming string of Chinese characters should be answered with which other string of Chinese characters. — Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026 Circe, the poem’s speaker, instructs the nymphs in a recipe for cooking pork. — Bailey Sincox, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 Carpenter instructs first, grabbing a shallow dish and mixing in some apple cider vinegar along with a few drops of dish soap. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 28 July 2026 While the robot is adjusting the bed, the user instructs it to stop midway through the task. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026 Erez picks it up, stares through the crosshairs, as a voice on the phone instructs them how to aim and shoot. — Marisa Fox, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructs

Verb

More recently, Schumer announced that she was set to release her first children’s book — A Joke of Her Own, illustrated by Beth Mills — which is inspired by her own childhood and teaches kids about hard work and embracing comedy.

— Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Focus on inference While AI training teaches the model to learn from patterns in large amounts of data, inference refers to the decisions that are made based on new information.

— Isabel O'Brien,Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of teaches

Verb

Eco effort To protect the pristine natural habitat, Jumeirah Olhahali implements successful conservation projects and educates guests on their role in the preservation efforts.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
None of these institutions educates hundreds of thousands of students.

— Scott White, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of educates

Verb

Albana Vrioni, advises growth-stage companies on governance, investor relations, and transformation.

— Albana Vrioni, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Some investors may be tempted to shift entirely away from bonds to cash, but McCarron advises against it since cash doesn't beat inflation.

— Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of advises

Verb

Sampson orders Springfield, his security man, to find that same chemist Reacher is seeking and thus to find Reacher.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
But some orders commissioning justices of the peace, though signed by Adams and sealed by his Secretary of State, went undelivered.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of orders

Verb

One of the questions, directed to David Hunt, director of finance for Entergy Arkansas, asks him to explain the reasoning for the classification of the payments.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
The complaint asks a Cook County judge to issue a fine of $11,500 for every day the violations are not corrected.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of asks

Verb

Nuclear power currently commands more political attention, more corporate investment and more technological hype than at any point in at least three decades.

— Interesting Engineering, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
This coffee table designed by Athena Calderone commands attention with its sculptural block design and almost five-inch-thick travertine top.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of commands

Browse Nearby Words

instructresses

instructs

instrument

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Style

“Instructs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructs. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of instructs

verb

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