Instance and Example

instance

An occurrence of something.
- usage: "it was a case of bad judgment"; "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is always the famous example of the Smiths"
- synonyms: case, example
An item of information that is typical of a class or group.
- usage: "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10"
- synonyms: example, illustration, representative

(n.) That which is instant or urgent; motive.
(n.) That which offers itself or is offered as an illustrative case; something cited in proof or exemplification; a case occurring; an example.
(n.) Occasion; order of occurrence.
(n.) The act or quality of being instant or pressing; urgency; solicitation; application; suggestion; motion.
(v.t.) To mention as a case or example; to refer to; to cite; as, to instance a fact.
(n.) A token; a sign; a symptom or indication.
(v.i.) To give an example.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

example

An item of information that is typical of a class or group.
- usage: "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10"
- synonyms: illustration, instance, representative
A representative form or pattern.
- usage: "I profited from his example"
- synonyms: model
Something to be imitated.
- usage: "an exemplar of success"; "a model of clarity"; "he is the very model of a modern major general"
- synonyms: exemplar, model, good example
Punishment intended as a warning to others.
- usage: "they decided to make an example of him"
- synonyms: deterrent example, lesson, object lesson
An occurrence of something.
- usage: "it was a case of bad judgment"; "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is always the famous example of the Smiths"
- synonyms: case, instance
A task performed or problem solved in order to develop skill or understanding.
- usage: "you must work the examples at the end of each chapter in the textbook"
- synonyms: exercise

(n.) That which is to be avoided; one selected for punishment and to serve as a warning; a warning.
(v.t.) To set an example for; to give a precedent for; to exemplify; to give an instance of; to instance.
(n.) An instance serving for illustration of a rule or precept, especially a problem to be solved or a case to be determined, as an exercise in the application of the rules of any study or branch of science; as, in trigonometry and grammar, the principles and rules are illustrated by examples.
(n.) That which resembles or corresponds with something else; a precedent; a model.
(n.) One or a portion taken to show the character or quality of the whole; a sample; a specimen.
(n.) That which is to be followed or imitated as a model; a pattern or copy.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary