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instrument

[in-struh-muhnt] / ˈɪn strə mənt /




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.

See Examples For:

"We should not treat AI as a threat to good jobs. We should use it as an instrument to create them," he said.

From Barron's Jul. 15, 2026

The lyrics mention muddy water and Natchez, Miss., and he adds wailing fills on the instrument officially known as a harmonica but which in this context is usually called a “harp.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 14, 2026

Because it requires no electrical power or maintenance, the instrument can remain on the lunar surface as a permanent location marker.

From Science Daily Jul. 14, 2026

Many young people across the world can say they play an instrument, but not many are quite like Freya Terris.

From BBC Jul. 13, 2026

Paul Jennings grabbed an instrument and added to the celebration.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Back in Sheffield city centre at Platts & Nisbett, makers of surgical instruments, the process now includes CNC at the first stage, which is when a software programme directs machinery to cut the components.

From BBC Jul. 20, 2026

This series is also a reminder that long before the founding, it was the people who made constitutional and legal change with their own hands, through their own instruments of government.

From Slate Jul. 20, 2026

The waves were recorded by ocean bottom seismometers positioned around the plateau and by instruments installed on nearby oceanic islands.

From Science Daily Jul. 18, 2026

It’s well to remember that in the early days of synthesizing instruments, violins with perfect vibrato sounded especially fake, until tiny errors generated by chance were added to the sine waves.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 16, 2026

Even with modern instruments, pilots of commercial aircraft today need to be able to see the runway before they can land, even if they’ve been flying in cloud nearly to the ground.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Because of these risks, the landslide area has been extensively instrumented since 2020.

From Science Daily Dec. 21, 2025

I worked at the facility from 1973 to 1976, and Metro’s 1000-series cars were instrumented and running around loops to identify problem areas.

From Washington Post Jan. 27, 2023

We're the only sport that has done this type of work with instrumented mouthguards.

From BBC Sep. 16, 2022

Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, a U.S. naval facility, is the world's largest instrumented, "multi-dimensional" testing and training missile range, according to the U.S.

From Fox News Feb. 22, 2022

We are unlikely to determine the answer to this question without landing instrumented space vehicles on the Titanian surface.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

“We are instrumenting the car in a way that is overloading the driver just like we were overloading the helicopter pilots,” said Strayer, director of the university’s Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 6, 2022

This can be a result of budgetary constraints, the difficulty of instrumenting treacherous volcanoes and, in some cases, red tape preventing the placement of sensors in wilderness areas.

From New York Times Nov. 9, 2021

“And we need to rethink what this instrumenting of the world — all that data being generated and collected — means for privacy and how all this data is used.”

From New York Times Aug. 4, 2015

Yet little has been done to probe the underlying crust and mantle, mainly because instrumenting the entire state is so expensive.

From Scientific American Nov. 5, 2013

Niels and I get to work carefully instrumenting the sleep logger and attaching it to the bird.

From New York Times Apr. 15, 2011




Vocabulary lists containing instrument


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