instruction

noun

in-STRUK-shuhn/ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/

6 meanings of instruction

1
nouncountable or uncountableplural
A set of directions provided by a manufacturer for people who use its product or service.
The instruction booklet that came with the blender explains each speed setting.
According to the manufacturer's instructions, the filter should be replaced every three months.
Similardirections, guidelines
Note
In this use the word is almost always plural. You read the instructions that come with a product, and the whole leaflet counts as one set of directions rather than many separate ones. The singular survives mainly in front of another noun, as in an instruction booklet. There the word works like an adjective naming the kind of document.
2
noununcountable
The act or process of teaching people, or of passing on knowledge or information to them.
Classroom instruction now blends lectures with hands-on group work.
New recruits receive six weeks of intensive instruction before their first assignment.
Similarteaching, education, training, tuition, tutoring
Note
The mass-noun use, with no article and no plural: students receive instruction, and villagers are given instruction when they begin work. The word came through Old French instruccion from Latin instructio, formed like instruct + -ion. The subject usually follows with in or on (instruction in the arts, instruction on how to handle customers). With a or a plural, the word moves to a single piece of teaching or an order.
3
nouncountable
An order or command given to someone, directing what they should do.
The pilot received an instruction from air traffic control to change altitude.
Staff were given strict instructions not to discuss the merger with reporters.
Similarorder, command, directive, direction
4
nouncountable
A particular piece of information or knowledge passed on through teaching.
One instruction from her driving teacher (look where you want the car to go) became second nature.
The apprentice wrote down every instruction the carpenter shared about joining wood.
Similarlesson, tip, precept, pointer
5
nouncountable or uncountable
A single operation that a processor can carry out, defined by its instruction set architecture.
The processor fetches one instruction at a time from memory and decodes it.
The compiler translates each line of source code into machine instructions.
Similaroperation
Note
In computing the word names the smallest unit of a stored program. An instruction is a binary pattern that the processor fetches, decodes and executes. Which operations count as instructions is set by the instruction set architecture, the catalog of operations a given processor recognizes. Machine instructions are what source code finally becomes after compilation.
6
nouncountable or uncountableplural
The directions a client gives to their lawyer regarding a particular legal matter, which define the purpose and scope of the lawyer's work.
Counsel confirmed she had received instruction to appeal the ruling.
The firm's instructions were limited to drafting the contract, not negotiating its terms.
Similarbrief, mandate
Note
Lawyers speak of taking instructions. A lawyer cannot act until the client has given them, and they fix what the lawyer may and may not do on the matter. In British practice the chain runs a step further: a solicitor takes instructions from the client and in turn instructs counsel. The verb instruct therefore carries the same professional sense as the noun.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of instruction apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English "instruccioun," from Old French "instruccion," from Latin "instructio"; it is equivalent to "instruct" plus the suffix "-ion."