Use instance when pointing to a single case within a larger pattern or argument. It is slightly more formal than 'example' and suits written and professional contexts. Common in 'for instance' (= for example) and 'in this instance' (= in this case).
Use instance when pointing to a single case within a larger pattern or argument. It is slightly more formal than 'example' and suits written and professional contexts. Common in 'for instance' (= for example) and 'in this instance' (= in this case).
| Incorrect | Correct |
| For an instance, consider the following. | For instance, consider the following. |
| In most instants, the result was the same. | In most instances, the result was the same. |
Use instance freely in software, cloud, and database contexts: 'spin up an instance', 'database instance', 'EC2 instance'. In object-oriented programming, an instance is a single object created from a class.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| We deployed a new version of the app. | We deployed a new instance of the app. |
| Each instance is a different version of the program. | Each instance is a separate copy of the program running simultaneously. |
This sense appears almost exclusively in the fixed phrase 'at the instance of' in formal, legal, or official writing. It is not common in everyday speech.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| At the instance of the client, the meeting was moved. | At the request of the client, the meeting was moved. |
| He acted at the instance of his supervisor. | He acted at the request of his supervisor. |
Instance suits formal and written English. 'For instance' and 'in this instance' are its most natural homes. The computing sense is standard in technical contexts. Avoid 'at the instance of' outside formal or legal writing.
The phrase is 'for instance', not 'for an instance'. Also, 'instants' (plural of 'instant') is often confused in spelling with 'instances': in most instants should be in most instances.
From Old French instance ('urgency, effort'), from Latin instantia ('presence, urgency'), literally 'a standing near', from instare ('to stand upon, press upon'), combining in- and stare ('to stand'). First recorded in English around 1340. The logical sense of 'a particular case or example' developed in the early 15th century via Medieval Latin translation of Greek enstasis. The phrase 'for instance' appeared in the 1650s.
What does instance mean?
Instance most commonly means a specific occurrence or case of something, as in 'for instance' or 'in this instance'. In computing it means a single running copy of a program or object.
What is the difference between instance and example?
Both refer to a specific case, but instance stresses that it is one occurrence within a pattern, while example stresses that it illustrates or clarifies a point.
What does 'for instance' mean?
'For instance' means 'for example'. It introduces a specific case that illustrates a general statement. First recorded in this sense in the 1650s.
What does instance mean in computing?
In computing, an instance is a single running copy of a program, application, or object. In object-oriented programming, an instance is one object created from a class.
What is the origin of the word instance?
Instance comes from Latin instantia, meaning 'a standing near' or 'urgency', from instare ('to stand upon'). It entered English via Old French around 1340.