in·stance/`ɪnstəns; ˈɪnstəns/ n 1 for instance for example 例如: She's totally unreliable — for instance, she often leaves the children alone in the house. 她这人完全不可靠，比如说，她常常把孩子单独留在房子里。 2 [C] an example of a particular kind of situation or behaviour 例子，实例: + of instances of police brutality 警察暴行的实例