Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use instant in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, adjective, adverb

Instant means a very short period of time; a moment. Example: “She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.”

Examples of instant by meaning

nounA very short period of time; a moment.

  • She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.
  • So short that, shouldst thou die and Eternity should pass, and after the passing of Eternity thou shouldst live again, thou wouldst say: ‘I closed mine eyes but for an instant.’1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC, page 76

nounA single, usually precise, point in time.

  • The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.
  • Liftoff occurs the instant the bolts are released.

adjectivePresent; current; extant.

  • He received just two disciplinary reports prior to committing the instant offense, one in March 2019 for activating an alarm during a non-emergency situation, and one in May 2019 for failing to provide a urine specimen.December 28, 2019 Attorney Jeffery S. Levin, quoted in The Boston Globe, p. 3

adjectiveOccurring immediately; immediate; present.

  • Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Hocussing of Cigarette”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin...
  • Tarrant attained instant cult status in the community.2023 February 27, Luke Munn, “8chan's Playful Hate”, in Red Pilled - The Allure of Digital Hate, Bielefeld: Bielefeld University Press...

adjectiveVery quickly and easily prepared.

  • instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo

adjectiveOf the current month.

  • I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.
  • Vice-Admiral Kamimura reports that at dawn of the 14th instant, our squadron found, off Ulsan, the south-eastern coast of Corea, three ships of the Vladivostock squadron steaming southward.1904 August 17 [1904 August 13], “KAMIMURA'S REPORT.”, in Hongkong Daily Press, number 14,467, Hong Kong, sourced from Tokyo and Kamimura...

More sentences with instant

  • The attraction was mutual and instant; they were sweet on one another from first sight.From the entry sweet
  • I went invisible so that my ex-girlfriend wouldn't send me instant messages.From the entry invisible
  • For some instant noodles make a palatable, if not especially nutritious, meal.From the entry palatable
  • Users of an instant messaging service are presentities that may show themselves as online, offline, or away.From the entry presentity
  • Get that banana peel out of your mouth this instant! You don't know where it's been!From the entry you don't know where it's been
  • "You come back here this instant! Oh, you're dead, mister!"From the entry dead
  • Our instant needs are not being met.From the entry need
  • An instant intervened between the flash and the report.From the entry intervene
  • Her choice at the line-up proved to be erroneous, as she had only seen the mugger for an instant.From the entry erroneous
  • You come right back here this instant!From the entry right back
  • He was so self-willed that he refused to do anything that did not grant instant satisfaction or direction.From the entry self-willed
  • I don't think my instant messages are going through.From the entry go through
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:instant loss 2koma.From the entry instant loss 2koma
  • You come right home this instant!From the entry right
  • Kinetics might be described as a series of events, and in any event, there is some instant at which some change begins.From the entry in any event
  • Ultra-processed foods, like energy drinks, instant oatmeal, sliced bread, or hot dogs."2025 November 10, Morgan Coulson, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health, archived from the original on 04 Dec 2025. From the entry ultra-processed food
  • Brier, 28, has found instant success on the social media platform of the moment, TikTok.2023 March 14, Alexandra Jacobs, “Your Annoying Roommate Is Slaying on TikTok”, in The New York Times. From the entry on the back burner
  • They had seen this pattern before: show writes meme-able scene; scene becomes meme; instant marketing; profit.2022 September 22, Jess Thomson, “‘Becoming a meme totally helps a show’: is TV being written with epic gifs in mind?”, in The Guardian. From the entry ring false
  • The app uses XMPP to communicate, a long-established protocol for sending instant messages.2022 July 7, Joseph Cox, “This Is the Code the FBI Used to Wiretap the World”, in VICE. From the entry XMPP
  • Powdered dashi (like Hondashi) makes an instant broth but sacrifices some flavor.2022 October 19, J. Kenji López-Alt, “What Kenji López-Alt Makes His Family for Dinner”, in The New York Times, archived from the original…. From the entry steepable
  • The instant I did he Snapped me and said he could really use a good back massage.2022, Leo Neet, 1000 Secrets, a Million Lies: Confessions of a Sex Addict, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Dorrance Publishing Co, →ISBN, page 45. From the entry snap
  • More importantly and closer to life, slangs help build an instant intimacy and informality.2021 September 3, Charudutta Panigrahi, “The Intimacy Of Slangs”, in Odisha News, archived from the original on 19 Mar 2025. From the entry slang
  • According to one consumer, they turn her “straight into a ‘bruh’ girl” in an instant.2020, Annabelle Vaughan, “Tasting the Rainbow”, in Critic Te Ārohi, number 14, page 33. From the entry bruh girl
  • Time-reverse all motions and the three will return at the same instant to the starting point.2020, Martin Gardner, Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements, page 134. From the entry time-reverse
  • Even with the imprimatur of Tynan and Hobson, the play was not an instant hit.2015 March 30, Michael Billington, “Look Back in Anger: how John Osborne liberated theatrical language”, in The Guardian. From the entry imprimatur
  • Lost souls, braying for self-help and instant gratification up votes on the internet.2013 August 5, Ryan Bassil, “Is Taylor Swift a Regular Poster on 4Chan?”, in Vice, archived from the original on 01 Nov 2024. From the entry /b/ro
  • Instant nausea, impaired vision, and the feeling of impending death, all prior to lights out.2012, Jeni Decker, I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames. From the entry lights out
  • Another called upon the coachman to stop, and threatened him with instant death if he disobeyed.2012, Charles Brockden Brown, Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist. From the entry forehorse
  • It is flamboyant yet unmemorable, like a screen saver, its refusal to freeze insuring instant amnesia.2012, A. Krista Sykes, Constructing a New Agenda: Architectural Theory 1993-2009, →ISBN. From the entry junkspace
  • Via the app, users will be encouraged to give instant feedback about their dates with other OkCupiders.2012 July/August, Dan Slater, “Love Doctors”, in Fast Company, number 167, pages 53–56. From the entry OkCupider

Meaning of instant

  1. noun A very short period of time; a moment.
  2. noun A single, usually precise, point in time.
  3. noun A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.

Full definition of instant

Questions about instant in a sentence

How do you use instant in a sentence?
Instant is used as a noun, adjective and adverb. For example: “She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.”
What is a short sentence with instant?
“You come right home this instant!”
What does instant mean?
Instant means a very short period of time; a moment.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: instant (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this page: “How to use instant in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/instant. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.