instructor

noun

in·​struc·​tor in-ˈstrək-tər How to pronounce instructor (audio)
Synonyms of instructornext
: one that instructs : teacher
especially : a college teacher below professorial rank
instructorship
in-ˈstrək-tər-ˌship How to pronounce instructor (audio)
noun

Synonyms of instructor

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of instructor in a Sentence

He's a poetry instructor at a local community college. had spent most of his adulthood as an instructor in the local school system
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
McAfee appears in the movie as a Marines drill instructor, appearing alongside stars Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgard, Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026 An instructor at the local community college, he was used to telling other people what to do. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Finding a local event hosted by over 13 country associations from the Nordics and Baltics to Croatia, Japan, and Australia and joining a group walk with an INWA instructor. — Lola Akinmade, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026 Avery took the witness stand Wednesday morning, providing his first live testimony since Gonzalez was arrested in May along with her father, Florida lawyer Francisco Gonzalez, and her former boyfriend, Hawaii surf instructor Kai Cordrey. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for instructor

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of instructor was in the 15th century

Rhymes for instructor

See All Rhymes for instructor

Browse Nearby Words

instructive
instructor
instructorial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instructor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instructor. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

instructor

noun
in·​struc·​tor in-ˈstrək-tər How to pronounce instructor (audio)
: one that instructs : teacher
instructorship
-ˌship How to pronounce instructor (audio)
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All