in·struct (?n-str?kt?)v. in·struct·ed, in·struct·ing, in·structs v.tr.1. To give orders to; direct: instructed the children to hang up their coats.2. To provide with knowledge; to train or inform: instructed the students in algebra. See Synonyms at teach.v.intr. To serve as an instructor.[Middle English instructen, from Latin ?nstruere, ?nstr?ct-, to prepare, instruct : in-, on; see in-2 + struere, to build; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.instruct (?n?str?kt) vb (tr) 1. to direct to do something; order2. to teach (someone) how to do (something)3. to furnish with information; apprise4. (Law) law chiefly a. (esp of a client to his solicitor or a solicitor to a barrister) to give relevant facts or information tob. to authorize (a barrister or solicitor) to conduct a case on a person’s behalf: to instruct counsel. [C15: from Latin instruere to construct, set in order, equip, teach, from struere to build] in?structible adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014in?struct (?n?str?kt) v.t. 1. to furnish with knowledge, esp. by a systematic method; teach; train; educate. 2. to furnish with orders or directions; direct; order; command. 3. to furnish with information; inform; apprise. 4. (of a judge) to guide (a jury) by outlining the legal principles involved in the case under consideration. [1375?1425; late Middle English If you instruct someone to do something, you tell them to do it. When instruct has this meaning, it is followed by an object and a ‘to’-infinitive.You do not use ‘instruct’ like this without an object. You do not say, for example, ‘He instructed to take the prisoners away’. Instead you can say ‘He gave instructions for the prisoners to be taken away’ or ‘He gave instructions that the prisoners should be taken away’.