Instant Meaning
/ˈɪnstənt/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA very short period of time; a moment.
nounA single, usually precise, point in time.
Sentence Examples
To my amazement, it disappeared in an instant.
Fanned by a strong wind, the fire spread in an instant.
This account gives you instant access to your money.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The earthquake was so powerful that in an ____, the entire building collapsed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
For an ____, I thought I had lost my keys, but then I found them in my jacket pocket.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English instant (“infinitely short period of time”), from Old French instant (“assiduous, at hand”, adjective), from Latin īnstāns, īnstantis (“present, pressing, urgent”, literally “standing near”), present active participle of īnstō (“to stand upon, be nearby”), from in- (“after”) + stō (“to stand”). Compare Old English instede (“immediately, on the spot, at once”). More at in, stand.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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.’"
— 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC, page 76:
""On receiving the baton, steam was again turned on, and the train passed on to the bridge... when the train had got about 200 yards from the cabin [in the signal box], he observed sparks flying from the wheels; and after they had continued about three minutes, there was a sudden bright flash of light, and in an instant there was total darkness, the tail lamps of the train, the sparks, and flash of light, all, he said disappearing at the same instant.""
— 2021 November 3, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Boxes with functions across the centuries”, in RAIL, number 943, page 57, referring to the Tay Bridge disaster:
"Impending death is thine, and instant doom."
— 1703, Matthew Prior, an Ode to Colonel George Villiers:
"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 12:12:
"I ſee no day to To day, the inſtant Time is alvvayes the fitteſt time."
— 1645, Thomas Fuller, “Personall Meditations”, in Good Thoughts in Bad Times, […], Exeter, Devon: […] Thomas Hunt, →OCLC, section VIII, page 19:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The earthquake was so powerful that in an ____, the entire building collapsed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
For an ____, I thought I had lost my keys, but then I found them in my jacket pocket.