instance

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An example that is cited to prove or invalidate a contention or illustrate a point. See Synonyms at example.
2. n. A case or an occurrence: In all such instances, let conscience be your guide.
3. n. Law A legal proceeding or process; a suit.
4. n. A step in a process or series of events: You should apply in the first instance to the personnel manager.
5. n. A suggestion or request: called at the instance of his attorney.
6. n. Archaic Urgent solicitation.
7. n. Obsolete An impelling motive.
8. v. To offer as an example; cite.
9. v. To demonstrate or show by an example; exemplify.
10. idiom. for instance As an example; for example.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Presence; present time.
2. n. A happening or occurring; occurrence; occasion: as, it was correct in the first instance; a court of first instance (that is, of primary jurisdiction).
3. n. A case occurring; a case offered as an exemplification or a precedent; an example; originally, a case offered to disprove a universal assertion: as, this has happened in three instances.
4. n. Hence Evidence; proof; token.
5. n. An impelling motive; influence; cause.
6. n. The process of a suit.
7. n. In Scots law, that which may be insisted on at one diet or course of probation.
8. n. The act or state of being instant or urgent; insistence; solicitation; urgency.
9. To cite as an instance; adduce in illustration or confirmation; mention as an example.
10. To furnish an instance or example of; exemplify; manifest.
11. To take or receive example or examples; give or find illustration: followed by in.

Wiktionary

1. n. One of a series of recurring occasions, cases, essentially the same.
2. n. A dungeon or other area that is duplicated for each player, or each party of players, that enters it, so that each player or party has a private copy of the area, isolated from other players.
3. n. An individual copy of such a dungeon or other area.
4. v. transitive To mention as a case or example; to refer to; to cite; as, to instance a fact.
5. v. intransitive To cite an example as proof; to exemplify.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act or quality of being instant or pressing; urgency; solicitation; application; suggestion; motion.
2. n. obsolete That which is instant or urgent; motive.
3. n. Occasion; order of occurrence.
4. n. That which offers itself or is offered as an illustrative case; something cited in proof or exemplification; a case occurring; an example.
5. n. A token; a sign; a symptom or indication.
6. v. To mention as a case or example; to refer to; to cite.
7. v. obsolete To give an example.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. clarify by giving an example of
2. n. an occurrence of something
3. n. an item of information that is typical of a class or group