Instruction

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ÊŒkʃən

Origin

Middle English instruccioun, from Old French instruccion, from Latin instructio

Full definition of instruction

Noun

1. (uncountable) The act of instructing, teaching, or furnishing with information or knowledge.
   Students receive instruction in the arts and sciences.
   Instruction will be provided on how to handle difficult customers.
• 1927, F. E. Penny, Pulling the Strings Chapter 5, Anstruther laughed good-naturedly. “… I shall take out half a dozen intelligent maistries from our Press and get them to give our villagers instruction when they begin work and when they are in the fields.”
2. (countable) An instance of the information or knowledge so furnished.
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)If my instructions may be your guide.
3. (countable) An order or command.
• 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate Chapter Prologue, Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
4. (computing) A single operation of a processor defined by an instruction set architecture.

Synonyms