definition of
instance

[1] #1 instance n. [case, example] an occurrence of something; "it was a case of bad judgment"; "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is always the famous example of the Smiths". wn

[2] #2 instance n. [example, illustration, representative] an item of information that is typical of a class or group; "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10". wn

[3] #3 instance v. [exemplify, illustrate] clarify by giving an example of. wn