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Definitions

instrument

[in-struh-muhnt] / ˈɪn strə mənt /




Usage

What are other ways to say instrument? An instrument is anything used in doing a certain type of work or producing a certain result, especially such as requires delicacy, accuracy, or precision: surgical or musical instruments. A tool is a contrivance held in and worked by the hand, for assisting the work of (especially) mechanics or skilled laborers: a carpenter's tools. An implement is any tool or contrivance designed or used for a particular purpose: agricultural implements. A utensil is especially an article for domestic use: kitchen utensils. 

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The blunt instrument of antitrust policy can carry risks, including its own harm to consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 17, 2026

The sound stage felt bludgeoned into submission throughout, as the intense distortion of bass, percussion and guitars made the instrument separation within the mix almost inaudible.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 16, 2026

Arizona State University leads operations of the rover's Mastcam-Z instrument.

From Science Daily Aug. 13, 2026

A melodica is a handheld instrument played by blowing air into a reed, which is attached to a keyboard.

From BBC Aug. 13, 2026

In short, scientists say that nothing we do as humans uses more parts of our brain and is more complex than playing an instrument.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Roman has a 7.9-foot primary mirror, the same diameter as the Hubble Space Telescope's, along with two major scientific instruments.

From Science Daily Aug. 28, 2026

Catching them in nets and fitting the instruments takes about 20 minutes: a brief stressful episode after which the animals return to normal behavior.

From Barron's Aug. 26, 2026

The chairman has a few instruments for holding a committee together.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 26, 2026

Despite being unable to read sheet music, Parton played several instruments including the banjo, harp, piano and saxophone.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

It could have been straight out of Fred’s Miles Davis album, where the musicians made sounds that had never been made by instruments before.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Because of these risks, the landslide area has been extensively instrumented since 2020.

From Science Daily Dec. 21, 2025

Then we browsed the For You page feed for each sockpuppet, recording what we saw via WebArchive.page, a specially instrumented web browser that archives all the data involved in a browsing session locally.

From Washington Post Mar. 30, 2023

We're the only sport that has done this type of work with instrumented mouthguards.

From BBC Sep. 16, 2022

When NASA’s most powerful rocket ever attempts its first flight this month, its highest profile payload will be three instrumented mannequins, setting off on a 42-day journey beyond the Moon and back.

From Science Magazine Aug. 15, 2022

We are unlikely to determine the answer to this question without landing instrumented space vehicles on the Titanian surface.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

“We are instrumenting the car in a way that is overloading the driver just like we were overloading the helicopter pilots,” said Strayer, director of the university’s Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 6, 2022

This can be a result of budgetary constraints, the difficulty of instrumenting treacherous volcanoes and, in some cases, red tape preventing the placement of sensors in wilderness areas.

From New York Times Nov. 9, 2021

“And we need to rethink what this instrumenting of the world — all that data being generated and collected — means for privacy and how all this data is used.”

From New York Times Aug. 4, 2015

Yet little has been done to probe the underlying crust and mantle, mainly because instrumenting the entire state is so expensive.

From Scientific American Nov. 5, 2013

Niels and I get to work carefully instrumenting the sleep logger and attaching it to the bird.

From New York Times Apr. 15, 2011




Vocabulary lists containing instrument


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