Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - instance

 I. noun  Date: 14th century  1.  a. archaic urgent or earnest solicitation  b. instigation, request am writing to you at the ~ of my client  c. obsolete an impelling cause or motive  2.  a. archaic exception  b. an individual illustrative of a category or brought forward in support or disproof of a generalization  c. obsolete token, sign  3. the institution and prosecution of a lawsuit ; suit  4. a step, stage, or situation viewed as part of a process or series of events prefers, in this ~, to remain anonymous — Times Literary Supplement Synonyms:  ~, case, illustration, example, sample, specimen mean something that exhibits distinguishing characteristics in its category. ~ applies to any individual person, act, or thing that may be offered to illustrate or explain an ~ of history repeating itself. case is used to direct attention to a real or assumed occurrence or situation that is to be considered, studied, or dealt with a case of mistaken identity. illustration applies to an ~ offered as a means of clarifying or illuminating a general statement a telling illustration of Murphy's Law. example applies to a typical, representative, or illustrative ~ or case a typical example of bureaucratic waste. sample implies a part or unit taken at random from a larger whole and so presumed to be typical of its qualities show us a sample of your work. specimen applies to any example or sample whether representative or merely existent and available one of the finest specimens of the jeweler's art.  II. transitive verb  (~d; instancing)  Date: 1601  1. to illustrate or demonstrate by an ~  2. to mention as a case or example ; cite