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INSTANT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A particular point in time
Example:
the moment he arrived the party began
Synonyms:
instant; minute; moment; second
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("instant" is a kind of...):
point; point in time (an instant of time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "instant"):
climax; culmination (the decisive moment in a novel or play)
eleventh hour; last minute (the latest possible moment)
moment of truth (a crucial moment on which much depends)
moment of truth (the moment in a bullfight when the matador kills the bull)
pinpoint (a very brief moment)
time (a suitable moment)
psychological moment (the most appropriate time for achieving a desired effect)
Derivation:
instantaneous (occurring with no delay)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
Example:
if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash
Synonyms:
blink of an eye; flash; heartbeat; instant; jiffy; New York minute; split second; trice; twinkling; wink
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("instant" is a kind of...):
bit; minute; mo; moment; second (an indefinitely short time)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Demanding attention
Example:
an instant need
Synonyms:
clamant; crying; exigent; insistent; instant
Classified under:
Similar:
imperative (requiring attention or action)
Derivation:
instancy (the quality of being insistent)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Occurring with no delay
Example:
instant gratification
Synonyms:
instant; instantaneous
Classified under:
Similar:
fast (acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly)
Derivation:
instancy (the quickness of action or occurrence)
Sense 3
Meaning:
In or of the present month
Example:
your letter of the 10th inst
Synonyms:
inst; instant
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
present (temporal sense; intermediate between past and future; now existing or happening or in consideration)
Context examples:
At the same instant my mother, alarmed by the cries and fighting, came running downstairs to help me.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
The next instant Holmes and the seaman were rolling on the ground together.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
On the instant those at the table were keyed up and expectant, the servant was smugly pleased, and he was wallowing in mortification.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Something involving one of these areas may need instant attention because news will come out of the blue.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Between two significant instants located in different groups, there are not always an integral number of unit intervals.
(Asynchronous Pacing Medical Device Problem, Food and Drug Administration)
Jekyll was now my city of refuge; let but Hyde peep out an instant, and the hands of all men would be raised to take and slay him.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
In an instant we were both out of the curricle and on our knees beside her.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
At any instant it might spring upon me from the shadows—this nameless and horrible monster.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The instant Laurie's step was heard in the hall, Meg fled into the study, and Mrs. March received the culprit alone.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
