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instant definition

in·stant (in′stənt)

adjective

  1. urgent; pressing
  2. soon to happen; imminent
  3. without delay; immediate to demand instant obedience
  4. designating a food or beverage in readily soluble, concentrated, or precooked form, that can be prepared quickly, as by adding water
  5. Archaic present; current

Etymology: LME < MFr < L instans, prp. of instare, to stand upon or near, press < in-, in, upon + stare, to stand

adverb

  1. Old Poet. at once; instantly
  2. Old-fashioned (in the) present (month) yours of the 13th (day) instant received

noun

  1. a point or very short space of time; moment
  2. a particular moment
instant Idioms

on the instant

without delay

the instant

as soon as

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

instant Synonyms

instant

modif.

immediate, prompt, instantaneous, on-the-spot, ready-to-use, ready-to-eat, ready-to-serve, premixed, precooked; see also immediate 1, prepared 2, 3.


instant

n.

moment, second, short while, flash, trice, split second, twinkling, wink of an eye, jiffy*, shake*, two shakes of a lamb's tail*, jiff*, sec*; see also moment 1.

on the instant

instantly, without delay, simultaneously; see immediately.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

instant Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • hesitate: If he had hesitated an instant at the water's edge it would have been nothing.

Adjective modifier

  • brief: For a brief instant his expression darkened, and he suddenly looked very old.

Modifies a noun

  • gratification: He lives for the moment rather than in the moment, pursuing instant gratification without thinking of how his actions may affect others.

Modifying Another Word

  • almost: The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in June 1997 to almost instant success.

Noun used with modifier

  • sampling: The numbers stored correspond to the amplitudes of the waveform at the sampling instants indicated by the black vertical lines.

Preposition: in

  • prayer: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 12.
instant usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

instant quotes

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.

-Bible (NewTestament)

The services of a menial servant, taking him as an example of unproductive labour,'generally perish in the very instant of their performance'öand forthwith into this galley, along with the menial servant, goes the sovereign, accompanied by all the army, the navy, and the civil service, followed by churchmen, lawyers, buffoons and opera dancers. All theseöand it is a hard sayingörender services which perish in the very instant of their performance. 368

-Gray, Alexander

I said,'Forgive me, sir,'and plucked the cigar out of his mouth. By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph. The silence was deafening.

-Karsh,Yousuf

instant quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"instant." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/instant>

APA Style

instant. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/instant

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