instantly

1 of 2

adverb

in·​stant·​ly ˈin(t)-stənt-lē How to pronounce instantly (audio)
1
: without the least delay : immediately
2
: with importunity : urgently

instantly

2 of 2

conjunction

: as soon as
he ran across the grass instantly he perceived his motherW. M. Thackeray

Examples of instantly in a Sentence

Adverb His voice is instantly recognizable. They instantly fell in love. She was killed instantly when her car hit a tree. Conjunction we realized there would be problems instantly we saw the final report
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Beloved by stars like Bella Hadid, Timothée Chalamet and the girls from Blackpink, the AirPods Max are Apple’s first-ever wireless headphones, with an instantly recognizable earcup design and big, powerful sound to match. Tim Chan, Variety, 23 Mar. 2024 Instead, Chase finds himself in the midst of a murder inquiry when another walker, Ronald Gretz, is pushed off a cliff, dying instantly. Karen MacPherson, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 Soft or not, the Radical feels instantly so much sharper than any street car. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024 Windows Phone Link goes way beyond that for Android users, with photos shot on the phone instantly appearing on the PC and the ability to run any app on the computer's screen. PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024 Give or take a few details, this is the exact same setup as the original game and will feel instantly familiar to anyone who played this before. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024 Perhaps one of the most instantly recognizable landmarks in all of Palm Beach is the Breakers, which can be seen in aerial shots in Palm Royale, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 In the first round, Joshua felled his opponent with a lethal straight right hand and instantly seized control in the Saudi capital. Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 This means that any winnings from the bonus can be withdrawn instantly without having to meet any playthrough requirements. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instantly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from instant instant entry 2 + -ly -ly entry 2

Conjunction

derivative of instantly entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Conjunction

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of instantly was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near instantly

Cite this Entry

“Instantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instantly. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

instantly

adverb
in·​stant·​ly
ˈin(t)-stənt-lē
: without delay : immediately
came instantly when I called

More from Merriam-Webster on instantly

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