How to Use instant in a Sentence
- The ride was over in an instant.
- For an instant, I forgot where I was.
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Lives can be lost in an instant.
—
Dejanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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From that instant, his phone blew up.
—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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That life changed in an instant.
—
Alexa Liacko,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Manuela’s life had turned in an instant.
—
Jordan Salama,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
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In that instant, the air in the room changed.
—
Divya Upadhyay,
STAT,
25 Feb. 2026
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Five decades that can be summed up in an instant.
—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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In an instant, Fate showed the way.
—
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
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But a lot can happen in an instant.
—
Matt Alderton,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
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Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant.
—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
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Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant.
—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
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Years of work gone in a single instant.
—
Brittany Ghiroli,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Trust takes years to build but can be shattered in an instant.
—
Phillip Molnar,
Mercury News,
14 Aug. 2025
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In an instant, prayers gave way to panic.
—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
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In an instant, the bench was gone—as was an entire era.
—
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
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Then the tables turned in an instant.
—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Use the instant if texture isn’t your thing.
—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2026
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Then, in an instant, a seagull swooped in.
—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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The splash ended in an instant.
—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
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And that paved the way for Perez to sprint home with an instant to spare.
—
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
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That future was taken from him in an instant.
—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
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Your posture, and the way his demeanor and stare changes in an instant.
—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
18 Oct. 2025
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In an instant, Urbina’s fears had been assuaged.
—
Naisha Roy,
ProPublica,
29 Apr. 2026
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Stoneground grits over instant will no doubt take your dish to the next level.
—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 June 2026
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The wooden gun barrels haven’t lost sight of her for an instant.
—
Ilya Kaminsky
august 20,
Literary Hub,
20 Aug. 2025
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In that instant, Scully’s life falls to pieces.
—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
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If you’re pressed for time, instant is certainly the way to go.
—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
26 Dec. 2025
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If you’re pressed for time, instant is certainly the way to go.
—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
21 Aug. 2025
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The parents would say the tantrums strike in an instant, sometimes out of the blue.
—
Michelle Fay Cortez,
Bloomberg,
5 Jan. 2026
- The movie was an instant hit.
- We got an instant response from the company.
- He became an instant celebrity with the publication of his first novel.
- Is this coffee instant or regular?
- The Internet provides instant access to an enormous amount of information.
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A shade is an instant way to change that.
—
Ryan Conner,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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All three could be instant starters.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
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That said, here are the instant grades for both teams in the trade.
—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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For Rey, the change was instant.
—
Lauren Pastrana,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
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The top with a zipper on each side was an instant hit.
—
Lisa Gutierrez
may 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
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But the bacon burnt ends won instant and high praise.
—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
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This taco dip is an instant crowd-pleaser.
—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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Hard to beat that for instant impact.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
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There’s plenty of instant torque on tap.
—
Utkarsh Sood
june 27,
New Atlas,
27 June 2026
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The club was an instant success.
—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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This game was an instant classic.
—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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This is an instant wardrobe staple.
—
Melony Forcier,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
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This isn't instant soup, number one.
—
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Its twists, turns and over-the-top fight scenes made the series an instant hit.
—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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If your home could use an instant decor refresh, an area rug is a great place to start.
—
Lily Gray,
Peoplemag,
2 Nov. 2023
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Guthrie’s instant instinct was self-blame.
—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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Few films become an instant classic quite the way this one did.
—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 July 2026
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The bottom line is that instant grades on drafts is folly.
—
Greg Cote
april 26,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
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Some will have instant success.
—
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
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Add 8 cups water and instant dashi.
—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
18 Jan. 2026
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Cake mix and instant pudding make this chocolate sheet cake a breeze.
—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
18 May 2026
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The oversized top with patch pockets was an instant hit.
—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
19 Sep. 2025
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And not by any of the instant, massive viral fame that came with it.
—
Mike Finger,
San Antonio Express-News,
2 May 2026
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Pair it with trousers, denim, or a maxi skirt for instant polish.
—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2026
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The fan’s response was instant.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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