The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Instance \In"stance\, n. [F. instance, L. instantia, fr.
   instans. See Instant.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. The act or quality of being instant or pressing; urgency;
      solicitation; application; suggestion; motion.
      [1913 Webster]

            Undertook at her instance to restore them. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. That which is instant or urgent; motive. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            The instances that second marriage move
            Are base respects of thrift, but none of love.
                                                  --Shak.
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   3. Occasion; order of occurrence.
      [1913 Webster]

            These seem as if, in the time of Edward I., they
            were drawn up into the form of a law, in the first
            instance.                             --Sir M. Hale.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. That which offers itself or is offered as an illustrative
      case; something cited in proof or exemplification; a case
      occurring; an example; as, we could find no instance of
      poisoning in the town within the past year.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]

            Most remarkable instances of suffering. --Atterbury.
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   5. A token; a sign; a symptom or indication. --Shak.
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   Causes of instance, those which proceed at the solicitation
      of some party. --Hallifax.

   Court of first instance, the court by which a case is first
      tried.

   For instance, by way of example or illustration; for
      example.

   Instance Court (Law), the Court of Admiralty acting within
      its ordinary jurisdiction, as distinguished from its
      action as a prize court.

   Syn: Example; case. See Example.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Instance \In"stance\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Instanced; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Instancing.]
   To mention as a case or example; to refer to; to cite; as, to
   instance a fact. --H. Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]

         I shall not instance an abstruse author. --Milton.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Instance \In"stance\, v. i.
   To give an example. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

         This story doth not only instance in kingdoms, but in
         families too.                            --Jer. Taylor.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

instance
    n 1: 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" [syn:
         case, instance, example]
    2: 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" [syn: example,
       illustration, instance, representative]
    v 1: clarify by giving an example of [syn: exemplify,
         illustrate, instance]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

97 Moby Thesaurus words for "instance":
   abetment, adduce, anatomize, article, as an example, aspect,
   atomize, call to mind, case, case history, case in point,
   circumstantiate, citation, cite, cite a particular, count,
   cross reference, datum, demonstrate, demonstration,
   descend to particulars, detail, document, element, emblem,
   encouragement, enter into detail, event, example, exemplar,
   exemplification, exemplify, explanation, exponent, facet, fact,
   factor, for example, for instance, give a for-instance,
   give full particulars, goading, ground, illustrate, illustration,
   improper suggestion, incidental, indecent proposal, insistence,
   item, itemize, matter, minor detail, minutia, minutiae, motion,
   name, needling, object lesson, occurrence, particular,
   particularize, pass, point, precedent, pressing, pressure,
   pricking, prodding, proof, proposal, proposition, quotation, quote,
   reason, reference, regard, relevant instance, representative,
   request, resolution, respect, sample, sampling, say,
   sexual advance, specify, specimen, spell out, spurring,
   substantiate, suggestion, symbol, thing, type, typical example,
   urging



The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

instance

    An individual object of a certain class.
   While a class is just the type definition, an actual usage of
   a class is called "instance".  Each instance of a class can
   have different values for its instance variables, i.e. its
   state.

   (1998-03-06)


Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

INSTANCE, civil and French law. It signifies, generally, all sorts of
actions and judicial demands. Dig. 44, 7, 58.