instant
[noun]
Synonyms:
- second, flash, jiffy (informal), moment, split second, trice, twinkling of an eye (informal)
- juncture, moment, occasion, point, time
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- immediate, direct, instantaneous, on-the-spot, prompt, quick, split-second
- precooked, convenience, fast, ready-mixed

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English Thesaurus: time, occasion, moment, point, a long time, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. in‧stant¹ S3 /ˈɪnstənt/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: instance, instant; adverb: instantly, instantaneously; adjective: instant, instantaneous]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: Latin instans, present participle of instare 'to stand on, be present', from stare 'to stand']

1. [usually before noun] happening or produced immediately Synonym : immediate:
an instant success
a system that provides instant access to client information
The women took an instant dislike to one another.
The programme brought an instant response.

2. [only before noun] instant food, coffee etc is in the form of powder and prepared by adding hot water:
instant coffee
instant soup

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. instant² noun
[Word Family: noun: instance, instant; adverb: instantly, instantaneously; adjective: instant, instantaneous]

1. [countable, usually singular] a moment:
She caught his eye for an instant.
When the rain started, the crowd vanished in an instant (=immediately).
instant of
an instant of panic
She stepped towards the door and, in that very same instant, the doorbell rang.

2. the instant (that) as soon as something happens:
The instant I saw him, I knew he was the man from the restaurant.
Jen burst out laughing the instant she walked in.

3. this instant spoken used when telling someone, especially a child, to do something immediately Synonym : now:
Come here this instant!

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

instant
adj.
VERBS be
ADV. almost His response was almost instant.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

instant
noun
I. short period of time
ADJ. brief, fleeting For a brief instant, I thought she was going to fall.
one, single His news was too important to be contained for a single instant longer.
VERB + INSTANT pause for He paused for an instant before continuing.
PREP. for an ~ Just for an instant I thought he was going to refuse.
in an ~ It was all over in an instant.
~ after/before She woke up in the instant before the phone rang.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

instant
II. single point in time
ADJ. (any) given, (any) one At any given instant the distribution of molecular speeds is always constant under the same conditions.
very He took out his keys to lock the door. At that very instant the door flew open and a man ran into the room.
PREP. at … ~ The bomb could go off at any instant.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

time a time when something happens or when you should do something:
The last time I saw her she was in high school.
It’s time for you to go to bed.
The best time to visit Scotland is in late May.
occasion a time when something happens. Occasion is more formal than time:
They have been seen together on several occasions.
The last occasion the two teams met, the Giants won easily.
moment a particular point in time when something happens:
At that moment (=at exactly that time), the door bell rang.
The next moment she was gone.
point a particular time during a longer period of time:
At one point during the play she completely forgot her lines.
the lowest point of the holiday
a long time a long period of time, especially many months or years:
They’ve been married a long time – nearly 30 years.
The house has been empty for a long time.
all day/night/year/week continuing for the whole day, night, year etc – used especially to emphasize that it is a long time:
It’s going to take me all night to finish this essay.
He’s in London all week, and only comes home at the weekends.
hours/weeks/months/years many hours, weeks, months, or years – used to emphasize that it is a long time, or much longer than it should be:
It’s years since I rode a bike.
My wife had to wait months for a hospital appointment.
ages especially British English informal a very long time:
I’ve been standing here for ages.
The software takes ages to load.
They’ve lived there for ages.
a while (also some time) a fairly long time:
I hadn’t seen Paul for a while, and he’d completely changed.
It may be some time before the company starts to make a profit.
the longest time American English a very long time:
For the longest time, my daughter wasn’t reading at all.
It took me the longest time to figure out how to work the sunroof in this car.
a minute/moment a short time:
I’ll call you back in a minute.
Can I show you something? It will only take a moment.
a second a very short time:
I’ll be ready in a second.
Just a second – I can’t find my wallet.
an instant written a very short time:
In an instant, they were gone.
He paused for an instant.
a little while/a short while a short period of time, especially a few hours, days, or weeks:
I’ve been to Tokyo, but I was only there for a short while.
I saw him a little while ago.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲