in‧stru‧ment W2 / ɪnstrəmənt, ɪnstrʊmənt / 名词 [可数名词]

1 tool a small tool used in work such as science or medicine :

surgical instruments

2 music an object used for producing music, such as a piano or violin 同义词 musical instrument → instrumental , instrumentalist :

electronic instruments

brass/wind/percussion/stringed etc instrument

3 for measuring a piece of equipment for measuring and showing distance, speed, temperature etc :

a failure of the flight instruments

sensitive earthquake-detecting instruments

4 method [通常单数形式] something or someone that is used to get a particular result

instrument of

Interest rates are an important instrument of economic policy.

instrument for (doing) something

Good management should be an instrument for innovation.

5 for hurting something that is used to hit or hurt someone :

Death was due to a blow on the head with a blunt instrument .

instrument of torture (= an object used to make people suffer pain until they give information )

6 instrument of fate/God literary someone or something that is used by a power beyond our control

COLLOCATIONS

动词

play an instrument Can you play a musical instrument?

learn to play an instrument ( also learn an instrument ) All students at the school have the opportunity to learn an instrument.

tune an instrument (= make it play at the right pitch ) The musicians were tuning their instruments before the concert began.

hire an instrument You could hire an instrument from a music shop.

ADJECTIVES/NOUN + instrument

a wind/woodwind instrument Violas blend very well with most of the wind instruments.

a brass instrument The tuba is the deepest of the brass instruments.

a string/stringed instrument He spent many hours playing string instruments of all kinds.

a keyboard instrument Keyboard instruments are relatively easy to learn.

a percussion instrument (= one that you hit ) Children can learn to play percussion instruments through games and songs.

an electronic instrument An electronic instrument requires no tuning and very little maintenance.

a solo instrument (= one that can be played on its own ) The organ has increasingly become recognized as a solo instrument in its own right.