Past tense of instruct
regular verb
The past tense of instruct is instructed. The past participle is also instructed.
Forms of instruct
| Base form (V1) | instruct /ɪnˈstɹʌkt/ |
|---|---|
| Past tense (V2) | instructed /ɪnˈstɹʌktɪd/ |
| Past participle (V3) | instructed /ɪnˈstɹʌktɪd/ |
| Present participle | instructing |
| Third person singular | instructs |
Instructed in a sentence
- The doctor instructed me to keep my arm immobilised and begin physiotherapy.
- I have placed both of the ads in the newspaper as instructed.From the entry ad
- They instructed the upholsterer to do the sofa in cinnamon and the ottoman in umber.From the entry cinnamon
- The motivational speaker not only instructed but also entertained the audience.From the entry entertain
- A lawyer cannot act until they have been formally instructed by their client.From the entry act
Meaning of instruct
- verb To teach by giving instructions.
- verb To tell (someone) what they must or should do.
- verb To give (one's own lawyer) legal instructions as to how they should act in relation to a particular issue; thereby formally appointing them as one's own legal representative in relation to it.
Questions about the past tense of instruct
- What is the past tense of instruct?
- The past tense of instruct is instructed.
- What is the past participle of instruct?
- The past participle of instruct is instructed.
- Is instruct a regular or irregular verb?
- Instruct is a regular verb: its past tense adds -ed.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: instruct (page history and authors) and the entries of its forms. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws left out forms marked obsolete, archaic, rare or dialectal and added the examples. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Past tense of instruct.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/past-tense/instruct. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.