instant.
A very short period of time; a moment.
Meaning & usage
A very short period of time; a moment.
She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.
A single, usually precise, point in time.
The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.
Liftoff occurs the instant the bolts are released.
A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *énu Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin īnstō Latin īnstānsder. Old French instantder. Middle English instant English instant From Middle English instant (“infinitely short period of time”), from Old French instant (“assiduous, at hand”, adjective), from Latin īnstāns, īnstantis (“present, pressing, urgent”, literally “standing near”), present active participle of īnstō (“to stand upon, be nearby”), from in- (“after”) + stō (“to stand”). Compare Old English instede (“immediately, on the spot, at once”). More at in, stand.
Impending; imminent.
Urgent; pressing; acute.
Insistent; persistent.
Present; current; extant.
Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
Very quickly and easily prepared.
instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo
Of the current month.
I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *énu Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin īnstō Latin īnstānsder. Old French instantder. Middle English instant ▲ Latin īnstānslbor. French instantbor. English instant From French instant and Middle English instant, both from Old French, from Latin instans (“standing by, being near, present, also urgent, importunate”), present participle of instō (“to stand upon, press upon, urge, pursue, insist”), from in (“on, upon”) + stō (“to stand”); see state.
At once; immediately.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *énu Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin īnstō Latin īnstānsder. Old French instantder. Middle English instant ▲ Latin īnstānslbor. French instantbor. English instant From French instant and Middle English instant, both from Old French, from Latin instans (“standing by, being near, present, also urgent, importunate”), present participle of instō (“to stand upon, press upon, urge, pursue, insist”), from in (“on, upon”) + stō (“to stand”); see state.
instant camera
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *énu Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin īnstō Latin īnstānsder. Old French instantder. Middle English instant ▲ Latin īnstānslbor. French instantbor. English instant Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em-der. Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmáratider. Proto-Iranian *kamarāder. Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára)bor. Latin cameralbor. English camera English instant cameraellip. English instant Ellipsis of instant camera.
To urge, press (someone); to insist on, demand (something).
Where this word comes from
Ultimately from Latin īnstāre; its precise evolution is uncertain. OED hints at (unattested) Middle French *instanter.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.