How to Use instruct in a Sentence

instruct

verb
  • She instructed us that we were to remain in our seats.
  • The judge instructed the jury that they should disregard the testimony of the last witness.
  • She advised him to instruct a solicitor.
  • In the video, Mace's staff members instruct her to walk up to a house and knock on the door.
    Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 16 May 2022
  • The full council should now do the same and instruct the zoo to start the process by studying how and where.
    Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2022
  • The act did, though, instruct the agency to continue to weigh a ban.
    Matthew Perrone, ajc, 28 Apr. 2022
  • The producers asked me to instruct [on camera] how to do the arm thing.
    L. Wayne Hicks, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Jan. 2022
  • He was instructed to pick the curtain rod up over there and put it over there.
    Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2024
  • Some recipes instruct you to bake the brie in an ovenproof serving dish.
    Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 12 Dec. 2022
  • And while the packet does not instruct you to brown the loin before roasting it, this cooked up nice and pink.
    Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 22 Dec. 2021
  • That is, the phrases, idioms and everyday plays-on-words that instruct us to live life to the fullest.
    Seth Combscontributor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Dec. 2022
  • Servers instruct us every time to pop the favas from their pods into our mouths like edamame.
    Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2022
  • The employees at these stores are trained to instruct you on how to best use these products.
    Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2023
  • Su’s boss instructs her to lie about his whereabouts on calls from both his wife and his mistress.
    Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Grayson would instruct candidates when and where to appear for the test.
    Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
  • First, you're instructed to visit your web vault and delete your vault via the Settings menu.
    PCMAG, 27 Sep. 2024
  • Dealers have been instructed to replace the faulty parts free of charge.
    Rob Wile, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The city is instructing those residents to leave their cans on the curb for trucks to come pick up on Friday, Jan. 10.
    Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The act did, though, instruct the agency to continue to weigh whether to ban menthol.
    Matthew Perrone, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
  • There was that time, in tee ball, when Wyatt’s teammate out-ran him when the coach instructed the players to run to the fence.
    Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 17 July 2023
  • The alert will also instruct you on how to disable the AirTag by removing the battery.
    Brandon Widder, The Verge, 25 July 2024
  • The officers also instruct the crowd that has gathered to stand back.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Does a roughneck working on an oil rig need to be instructed to wear steel-toe boots?
    WSJ, 7 Mar. 2023
  • Aram turns to instruct the agents to escape, but finds himself with only Ressler, Dembe, and Park.
    Laura Sirikul, EW.com, 7 May 2022
  • The user went on to claim that West himself instructed him to share the unauthorized copy of the album.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2024
  • That piece of paper instructs us to pay it forward and boo someone else, all in secret of course.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 Oct. 2024
  • Those turning in guns were instructed to have the weapons unloaded and in the trunk of their vehicle.
    Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 5 June 2023
  • Other staffers instructed guests to be careful with tulips placed in the cupholder of each seat until they were asked to.
    Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
  • Arrange some Skittles in a circle on a plate and have your elf instruct your kids to pour hot water in the middle.
    Corinne Sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Walter appealed the conviction in 2011 based on the judge’s failure to instruct the jury properly on the legal definition of defense of others.
    Emily Blackwood, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instruct.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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