English
instant
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /ˈɪnstənt/
Etymology 1

From Middle English instant, from Old French instant, from Latin instans, present active participle of īnstō ("to stand upon, be nearby"), from in- + stō.

Noun

instant (plural instants)

  1. A very short period of time; a moment.
    She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.
    • 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC ↗, page 76 ↗:
      Thy life is long, Eternity is short. 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.’
  2. A single, usually precise, point in time.
    The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.
  3. A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
  4. Ellipsis of instant camera
Translations Translations Translations
  • German: Instantessen (food)
Etymology 2

From French instant and Middle English instant, both from Old French -, from Latin instans, present participle of instō ("to stand upon, press upon, urge, pursue, insist"), from in ("on, upon") + stō ("to stand"); see state.

Adjective

instant (not comparable)

  1. (dated) Impending; imminent.
    Synonyms: pending, proximate, Thesaurus:impending
    • 1703, Matthew Prior, an Ode to Colonel George Villiers:
      Impending death is thine, and instant doom.
  2. (dated) Urgent; pressing; acute.
  3. (dated) Insistent; persistent.
    Synonyms: exigent, imperious, Thesaurus:urgent
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Romans 12:12 ↗:
      Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
    • January 2, 1827, Thomas Carlyle, letter to Mrs. Carlyle, Scotsbrig
      I am beginning to be very instant for some sort of occupation.
  4. (legal) Present; current; extant.
    • December 28, 2019 Attorney Jeffery S. Levin, quoted in The Boston Globe, p. 3
      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.
  5. Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
    Synonyms: instantaneous, Thesaurus:instantaneous
    • 1645, Thomas Fuller, “Personall Meditations”, in Good Thoughts in Bad Times, […], Exeter, Devon: […] Thomas Hunt, →OCLC ↗, section VIII, page 19 ↗:
      I ſee no day to To day, the inſtant Time is alvvayes the fitteſt time.
    • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Hocussing of Cigarette ↗”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC ↗; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831 ↗, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
      No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. 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.
  6. Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
    Synonyms: brief, transient, Thesaurus:ephemeral
  7. Very quickly and easily prepared.
    instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo
  8. Of the current month.
    Synonyms: inst.
    I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.
Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • German: dieses Monats, archaic: hujus
Adverb

instant (not comparable)

  1. (poetic) At once; immediately.
    • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, I.182:
      He left the room for his relinquished sword, / And Julia instant to the closet flew.
Related terms

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