instincts
IN-stingkts/ˈɪn.stɪŋkts/
- 1Plural of instinct.
A good detective learns to trust her instincts when the evidence runs thin.
Newborn foals follow their instincts and stand within hours of birth.
Note
The plural belongs only to the countable noun. As a mass noun, instinct names the faculty itself (acting on instinct). Counted, it names separate impulses, and the plural covers both the inborn drive and the gut reaction. The old adjective instinct, meaning 'charged with something', takes no plural, so instincts is always the noun.
instincts is a form of instinct
instinct, noun: An inborn, natural impulse or pattern of behavior that arises without being learned. Full entry
- Forms
- instinctinstincts plural
- Spelling
- instinct → instincts: add -s
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /s/.
Use it in a sentence
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