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Definitions

instrument

[in-struh-muhnt] / ˈɪn strə mənt /
NOUN
tool, implement
Synonyms
STRONGEST
apparatus appliance device equipment gadget gear gizmo machine machinery mechanism
STRONG
contraption contrivance doodad paraphernalia tackle utensil
Antonyms
WEAK
end
NOUN
means, agent
Synonyms
STRONGEST
material mechanism medium organ vehicle
STRONG
agency channel factor force instrumentality ministry wherewithal
Antonyms
WEAK
end

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.

Or if you ever were a young girl who wanted to pick the drums when it came time to choose an instrument for band, and were instead encouraged to play something like the flute.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

The analysis was carried out using the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite, known as SAM.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

These artists were also serious pianists, attuned, no matter which instrument they were using, to the qualities of rhythm, pattern and progression.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

The effects have been so strong that the Fed, in a heroic feat of ex post facto rationalization, has begun to think of asset prices as another transmission mechanism for its balance-sheet policy instrument.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Our choices as to which instrument to play, in other words, are not entirely our own.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Vocabulary lists containing instrument

Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy

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List 3

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John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961

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