adjective / noun
instant
IN-stunt/ˈɪnstʌnt/
A moment of negligible duration.
For an instant, part of the bursting bubble remains intact among tiny droplets.
Etymology
Something “standing near” was present or immediately at hand. That sense of immediacy became a noun naming a moment in time—an extremely short span.
In context
In an instant the inconstant bird had forgotten all about the great heron above her
More examples
- The rabbit disappears into the bushes in an instant.
- At that instant, the phone rings.
- For a few instants, neither of us speaks.
Forms
instant · instants