Instances
'ɪnstənsɪz
Definitions
2 meaningsAn example or occurrence of something.
'ɪnstəns
She gave several instances of his generosity.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're telling a story about something that happened a few times. Each time it happened is an *instance* – like, "There were several *instances* of people forgetting their keys this week."
👶 For kids: It means when something happens, like a time something happened.
More Examples
The book contains many historical instances.
In this particular instance, the rules don't apply.
How It's Used
"The report provided several instances of fraud."
"The court cited previous instances of similar crimes."
A step or stage in a process, or a concrete realization of an abstract concept (e.g., in programming, an object created from a class).
'ɪnstəns
A step or stage in a process or event.
An object is an instance of a class in object-oriented programming.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're building something, like a computer program. An *instance* is a specific copy of something you're creating, like a particular computer program running on your device.
👶 For kids: It's like one little part of a bigger thing.
More Examples
The software creates a new instance of the application each time it's run.
Each car on the assembly line is an instance of the same model.
How It's Used
"Each object is an instance of a class."
"The instantiation of this variable creates a new instance."
Synonyms
From Middle English *instance*, from Old French *instance* ('urgency, request, example'), from Latin *instantia* ('presence, urgency, request'), from *instare* ('to stand upon, be present, urge').
Used in the 14th century to mean urgency or request, gradually evolving to mean example or occurrence.
Memory tip
Think of an *instant* in time when something happens. An *instance* is just a single occurrence of that happening.