The AI-powered English dictionary
countable and uncountable, plural instructions
(uncountable) The act of instructing, teaching, or providing with information or knowledge. quotations examples
Anstruther laughed good-naturedly. “[…] I shall take out half a dozen intelligent maistries from our Press and get them to give our villagers instruction when they begin work and when they are in the fields.”
1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 5, in Pulling the Strings
(countable) An instance of the information or knowledge so furnished. quotations examples
If my instructions may be your guide.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene ii]
(countable) An order or command. quotations examples
Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […]
(in the plural) A set of directions provided by a manufacturer for the users of a product or service. examples
(law, in the plural) The directions given by a client to their lawyer in relation to a particular legal matter, which govern the purpose and scope of their work. examples
(computing) A single operation of a processor defined by an instruction set architecture. examples