instinct

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.

Don’t run because it could trigger the animal’s chase instinct.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

If only they’d heeded their instinct to keep quiet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

After Eva and Ryland briefly ruminate on fear and primal instinct, Ryland’s otherwise direct and unemotional government superior takes to the mic, performing a cover of Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times.”

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

That instinct is rooted in a series of shocks that have quietly reshaped household balance sheets.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

The handful of millennia separating the Agricultural Revolution from the appearance of cities, kingdoms and empires was not enough time to allow an instinct for mass cooperation to evolve.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari