instrument

1. 1.

   a device that requires skill for proper use

   Broaderdevice

   Narroweranalyzercauterydrafting instrumentengineextractorharmoniuminstrument of executioninstrument of punishmentmeasuring instrumentmedical instrument
2. 2.

   the means whereby some act is accomplished

   “my greed was the instrument of my destruction”

   “science has given us new tools to fight disease”

   Synonymstool

   Broadermeans
3. 3.

   a person used by another to gain an end

   Synonymspawncat's-paw

   Broaderassistant
4. 4.

   (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right

   Synonymslegal documentlegal instrumentofficial document

   Broaderdocument

   Narrowerarticles of incorporationderivative instrumentnegotiable instrumentpassportship's papersmanifestdebenturepower of attorneyletters of administrationletters testamentary

   law

5. 5.

   the semantic role of the entity (usually inanimate) that the agent uses to perform an action or start a process

   Synonymsinstrumental role

   Broadersemantic role
6. 6.

   any of various devices or contrivances that can be used to produce musical tones or sounds

   Synonymsmusical instrument

   Broaderdevice

   Narrowerbarrel organhurdy gurdybasscalliopeelectronic instrumentjew's harpkeyboard instrumentmusic boxpercussion instrumentstringed instrument

1. 1.

   equip with instruments for measuring, recording, or controlling

   Broaderequip
2. 2.

   write an instrumental score for

   Synonymsinstrumentate

   Broadercompose

   music

3. 3.

   address a legal document to

   Broaderaddress

Other forms of instrument

plural

instruments·

past tense

instrumented·

present participle

instrumenting·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about instrument

What does instrument mean?

instrument means "a device that requires skill for proper use". That is the primary sense; the word has 9 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in instrument?

instrument has 3 syllables: in-stru-ment. The stress falls on "in". In IPA it is /ˈɪnstɹəmənt/.

What is another word for instrument?

Close synonyms include tool, pawn, cat's-paw, legal document, legal instrument. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is instrument a common word?

instrument is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.