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Webster 1913 Edition


Instantly

In′stant-ly

,
adv.
1.
Without the least delay or interval; at once; immediately.
Macaulay.
Syn. – Directly; immediately; at once. See
Directly
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Instantly

IN'STANTLY

,
adv.
Immediately; without any intervening time; at the moment.
Lightning often kills instantly.
1.
With urgent importunity.
And when they came to Jesus,they besought him instantly, saying, that he was worthy for whom he should do this. Luke 7.
2.
With diligence and earnestness. Acts.26.

Definition 2024


instantly

instantly

English

Alternative forms

Adverb

instantly (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) Urgently; with insistence. [from 15th c.]
  2. At once; without delay. [from 16th c.]
    When the neighbours' dog barked, ours instantly replied with a howl.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.
    • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
      The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott.

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