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instructor

instructor

221 2.9
A person who teaches a subject or skill in a class
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈstrʌktər/
translation icon : profesor (universidad)
  • He is going to be the main instructor in this course, which will be online.
  • instructors and students
  • a course instructor
  • a university instructor

So we knew all the instructors and they knew us.

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Examples

  • My first job was I was a swim instructor, lifeguard at a pool.

  • The victim was a dance instructor, employed at Wicker Park Performing Arts Center.

  • The instructor is a personal friend of mine.

  • Each row had a particular instructor that was in charge of it.

  • You can be my driver's instructor.

  • Well, she was my yoga instructor.

  • I am a writing instructor for Writers on The Verge at NBC.

  • Justin Spinks is a doctoral student and instructor in philosophy at the University of Kentucky.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The instructor explained the complex topic in a way that was easy to understand.

  • My swim instructor taught me how to float and breathe properly in the water.

Synonyms

teacher
vsinstructor
1.0

A person who gives lessons to students in a school or college

is used especially for teaching roles in colleges or specialist fields
educator
vsinstructor
164 3.0

A person who teaches or helps others learn, often at school

is more narrowly a paid job of teaching within colleges or specialist areas
tutor
vsinstructor
99 1.8

A person who teaches one student or a small group privately

is usually a workplace or institutional role rather than private one-to-one teaching
academic
vsinstructor
68 3.9

A person who teaches or does research at a university

focuses purely on teaching work rather than combined research and faculty status
lecturer
vsinstructor
42 3.1

A person who gives talks to students at a college or university

covers teaching duties beyond giving lectures, including hands-on or varied instruction
faculty member
vsinstructor
40 3.5

A teacher or researcher who works at a university

can be a teaching job without formal university staff status
pedagogue
vsinstructor
  • Formal
3 8.2

A teacher who teaches children and young people, often strict or formal

is a neutral professional teaching role without the strong didactic connotation
docent
vsinstructor
  • Specialized
2 8.9

A university teacher who ranks below a full professor

is the general occupational term for anyone who teaches, not a rank
preceptor
vsinstructor
1 8.8

A teacher who guides students at a university or in practical work

is a wider teaching role not restricted to supervision in practice settings
private instructor
vsinstructor
1 3.7

A person who teaches one student or a small group outside school, often at home

is primarily an institutional or workplace teaching role rather than private tuition
section instructor
vsinstructor
  • US
4.0

A teacher who leads a part of a college course, like a lab or discussion group

is the broader job of teaching across courses or specialized fields
section teacher
vsinstructor
  • US
4.4

A person who leads a small class inside a large college course

is a general teaching role not limited to a course subsection
pedagog
vsinstructor
8.7

A teacher who helps children or young people learn

is centered on paid teaching work in colleges or specialized fields rather than children

Compounds

A soldier who trains new soldiers in marching, discipline and basic tasks

A person who teaches one student or a small group outside school, often at home

A teacher who leads a part of a college course, like a lab or discussion group

How Experienced

professor
3.2
lecturer
42 3.1
instructor
221 2.9
teacher
1.0

Surface Forms

instructor singular
instructors plural

Morphology

instructor = instruct (transparent) = instruct + or

Meaning is directly and predictably derived: 'instructor' = someone who instructs.

Etymology

Instructor comes from parts in- meaning 'into' and struere meaning 'to build', and you can see the same root in structure and construct. So an instructor is someone who 'builds' knowledge or skills in students.