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instant

/ˈɪnstənt/noun, adjective2 syllables

Instant means: a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat).

Synonyms for instant36

noun, as in a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

blink of an eye, flash, heartbeat, jiffy, split second, trice, twinkling, wink, New York minute

noun, as in a particular point in time

moment, minute, second

adjective, as in demanding attention

clamant, crying, exigent, insistent, imperative

adjective, as in occurring with no delay

instantaneous, fast

adjective, as in in or of the present month

inst, present

also used for instant

eyeblink, bat of an eye, bit, crack, glimpse, pending, proximate, around the corner, at hand, forthcoming, imminent, impendent, impending, in the offing, in the wind

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does instant mean?5

noun

1

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)“if I had the chance, I'd do it in a flash”

2

a particular point in time“the moment he arrived the party began”

adjective

1

demanding attention“clamant needs”

2

occurring with no delay“relief was instantaneous”

3

in or of the present month“your letter of the 10th inst”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Instant in a sentence

  • To my amazement, it disappeared in an instant.CK
  • Fanned by a strong wind, the fire spread in an instant.fishda
  • An instant later our door opened, and a tall young man entered the room.Hybrid
  • The big, bad wolf swallowed the old lady whole in an instant.mervert1
  • As if by magic, it disappeared in an instant.karloelkebekio
  • The instant he opened the door, he smelt something burning.Swift
  • I used to stay up all night, instant messaging my friends.dresisto
  • The instant the girl saw her mother, she burst out crying.CK

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of instant

as a noun

plural
instants