instrument
noun
in·stru·ment
| \ ˈin(t)-strə-mənt
\
\
Definition of instrument
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a device used to produce music
also
: a singing voice
2a
: a means whereby something is achieved, performed, or furthered
4
: a formal legal document (such as a deed, bond, or agreement)
5a
: a measuring device for determining the present value of a quantity under observation
b
: an electrical or mechanical device used in navigating an airplane
especially
: such a device used as the sole means of navigating
instrument
verb
in·stru·ment
| \ ˈin(t)-strə-ˌment
\
\
instrumented;
instrumenting;
instruments
Definition of instrument (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to address a legal instrument to
2
: to score for musical performance : orchestrate
3
: to equip with instruments especially for measuring and recording data
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Synonyms for instrument
Synonyms: Noun
certificate, certification, document
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Examples of instrument in a Sentence
Noun
an instrument designed to measure the Earth's atmosphere The piano was his favorite musical instrument. Do you play any instruments?
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Police arrested a Houston man, 26, for possession of an instrument to commit retail theft and Harris County warrants Aug. 6 in the 4000 block of Knapp Road. — Jennifer James, Houston Chronicle, "Copper reported stolen from Pearland construction sites," 22 Aug. 2019 Five musicians kneeled behind the marimba, an instrument made of flat wooden keys and hollowed out cabaca fruit. — USA Today, "Were Wanda Tucker’s ancestors America’s first slaves? A difficult search for answers in far-away Angola," 22 Aug. 2019 Class demonstrations, an instrument fair, ice cream, and crafts will be available. Explore the music school’s early childhood programs, youth chorus, Suzuki, and beginner classes in piano, guitar, violin, drums, flute, clarinet, and ukulele. — Corey Dockser, BostonGlobe.com, "The fight for women’s suffrage, barn sale, and free music classes," 21 Aug. 2019 Scientists have been dreaming about such an instrument as far back as the 1990s, and a global consortium of scientists led by the U.S. and Canada completed the TMT design in 2009. — Jason Davis, NBC News, "A huge telescope in Hawaii could lead us to alien life. First it has to get off the ground.," 18 Aug. 2019 Harris was convicted in May of first-degree murder, kidnapping, possession of an instrument of a crime and strangulation in the Ardmore, Pennsylvania, model’s slaying. — Chris Harris, PEOPLE.com, "Man Gets Life in Prison, Plus 22½ to 45 Years, for Strangling Playboy Model to Death," 8 Aug. 2019 In addition to Lewellen, actress Kaitlyn Gabric, of Parma, is the only other actor who does not have to play an instrument during the musical. — cleveland.com, "Mercury’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ allows audiences to choose actors for parts; on stage in South Euclid Aug. 2-18," 26 July 2019 But father and son share a story as well as an instrument. — Elizabeth Nonemaker, baltimoresun.com, "Vieux Farka Touré brings the sounds of Mali to Baltimore," 19 July 2019 While there have been some successes doing this non-invasively using functional MRI, this is generally too blunt of an instrument. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Musk’s newest startup is venturing into a series of hard problems," 16 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Unlike earthquake prediction — which in terms of short-term prediction is currently not feasible and may never be feasible on a short timescale — volcano prediction is feasible and is common if volcanoes are instrumented. — NBC News, "Volcano expert explains the science behind Kilauea's ongoing eruption," 23 May 2018 Bullerengue is a genre led mainly by elderly women, instrumented exclusively with artisan drums, and preserved through oral tradition. — Marjua Estevez, Billboard, "How Afro-Colombian Artist Magín Díaz Went From Anonymity to Latin Grammy-Nominated at 95 Years Old," 7 Nov. 2017 But however well-instrumented, machines can't intuit. — Bucky Mcmahon, Popular Mechanics, "What's it like to fly a plane into a hurricane like Irma? We climbed into a NOAA plane in 2016 and flew into the heart of Hurricane Matthew to find out.," 8 Sep. 2017 The plan is for the NFL, when the technology is ready, to offer mouth guards instrumented with such sensors to players to measure their impact response. — Barry Wilner, The Christian Science Monitor, "NFL dedicates large portion of $100 million pledge to neuroscience," 29 Aug. 2017 The plan is for the NFL, when the technology is ready, to offer mouth guards instrumented with such sensors to players to measure their impact response. — USA TODAY, "NFL making $40 million available for medical research," 29 Aug. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'instrument.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for instrument
instrument
noun
English Language Learners Definition of instrument
: a tool or device used for a particular purpose
especially
: a tool or device designed to do careful and exact work
: a device that measures something (such as temperature or distance)
: a device that is used to make music
See the full definition for instrument in the English Language Learners Dictionary
instrument
noun