something that someone tells you to do:
on/under instruction The police who broke into the house were only acting on/under instructions.
[ + to infinitive ] He gave me strict instructions to get there by eight o'clock.
the teaching of a particular skill or subject:
instruction on The video provides instruction on how to operate the computer.
basic instruction in The course gives you basic instruction in car maintenance.
instruction manual Have you seen the instruction manual for the washing machine?
the act of teaching someone how to do something:
The course gives you basic instruction in car maintenance and repairs.
an order to do something, esp. a formal order:
[ + to infinitive ] The general received instructions to return to the base.
something that someone tells you to do:
It was a confusing instruction, and I wasn't sure what he wanted me to do.
give sb instructions on sth My boss gave me instructions on what to say to the press.
give sb instructions to do sth She gave me instructions not to contact the customer directly.
to issue/receive instructions
clear/firm/strict instructions
act on/carry out/follow (sb's) instructions The shares allow him to force the board to carry out his instructions.
disregard/ignore (sb's) instructions I ignored the instructions I had been given and went ahead with the deal anyway.
a piece of information that tells a computer how to do something:
Simple computer processors execute instructions one after the other.
the act of teaching something:
instruction in/on sth You will receive instruction on how to operate the system.