instrument

noun

ˈin(t)-strə-mənt How to pronounce instrument (audio)
Definition of instrumentnext
1
as in certificate
a written or printed paper giving information about or proof of something a valid will is a legal instrument

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tool
an article intended for use in work always choose the right instrument for any woodworking job

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in instrumentality
something used to achieve an end he sees scouting as an instrument for building character in young people

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in pawn
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another the claim that the scientists are mere instruments of the tobacco companies, who pay them to produce findings that are highly suspect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word instrument different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of instrument are appliance, implement, tool, and utensil. While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

When can appliance be used instead of instrument?

The words appliance and instrument can be used in similar contexts, but appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

When could implement be used to replace instrument?

While the synonyms implement and instrument are close in meaning, implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements
farm implements

How are the words tool and implement related as synonyms of instrument?

Tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement.

a carpenter's tools

When is utensil a more appropriate choice than instrument?

The synonyms utensil and instrument are sometimes interchangeable, but utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of instrument The sound stage felt bludgeoned into submission throughout, as the intense distortion of bass, percussion and guitars made the instrument separation within the mix almost inaudible. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026 Although Adolph Sax invented the saxophone in the mid-1800s as a classical instrument, most people associate it with jazz. — Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 Scrub technologists and circulating nurses prepare and manage instruments, maintain sterility, position the patient with millimeter precision for complex spine or cranial approaches, and anticipate needs before they are spoken. — Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Gorbachev, still consolidating power, was taking a risk by bucking anti-American hawks back in Moscow and standing with Reagan to join him in officially ruling out nuclear war as a rational instrument of policy. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for instrument
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrument
  1. certificate
  2. tool
  3. instrumentality
  4. pawn
  5. certification
  6. device
  7. means
  8. vehicle
Noun
  • After a squatter’s cabin was burned, the association began conducting its own land surveys and issued certificates of title to members who paid their dues, Clio wrote.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The final ticket number on Bargatze’s Guinness World Records certificate will be confirmed later this weekend.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of certificate
Noun
  • Some shops with specific scan tools that have special programming functions can permanently shut off the start/stop system on certain vehicles.
    — John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs And Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Electronic medical record tools that will summarize a patient’s hospital course for you.
    — Natasha Chida, Time, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of tool
Noun
  • Issued by the Wyoming Stable Token Commission, a state instrumentality created under the Wyoming Stable Token Act (2023), FRNT is fully reserved and managed in partnership with Franklin Templeton.
    — Jason Brett, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Holding the weight of cotton’s influence on the world, and thus the instrumentality of Black labor, is painful, yet necessary work.
    — Cierra Black, Essence, 9 July 2025
Definition of instrumentality
Noun
  • With no end to the war in sight, inflation on the rise, fuel rationing and continued threats of strikes, the vast majority of the Iranian population appear not to be players, but pawns.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Paradise Pawn is based on her experiences working behind the counter of a pawn shop.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of pawn
Noun
  • Stephanie Pope, the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, recently commented about seat certification delays.
    — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Coaches are required to earn CPR certification every two years.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of certification
Noun
  • Apple's AirTag is among the popular devices that help people find their keys or other items.
    — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • While only about 30% of bikes ridden by Bay Area children are electric, only 12% of those devices fell into one of the three e-bike categories.
    — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of device
Noun
  • Because having a major LLM now adopt automatic watermarking of all its AI outputs has caused masses of people to rush to find a means to defeat the watermarking.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Defense attorney Steve Haney argued that there was no evidence Rinderknecht started the blaze, that the fire could have been started by a firework or other means and that the fire scene was not secured.
    — Sierra van der Brug, Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of means
Noun
  • For customer Charlie Plumley, the result was enough to replace his own classic Bronco with a Vintage Modern vehicle.
    — Alexa Liacko, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Investigators used the plate to identify the suspect vehicle as an Acura TL sedan, which was found a short time later abandoned in Sunnyvale.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of vehicle

Browse Nearby Words

instructs
instrument
instrumental
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instrument.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrument. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on instrument

Nglish: Translation of instrument for Spanish Speakers

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