Meanings
- datedidiomaticnot comparableImmediately, right away.
Light flashed up in the room upon the instant, and the curtains of his bed were drawn.
1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 422 more examples
Or, if you shall so prefer to choose, a new province of knowledge and new avenues to fame and power shall be laid open to you, here, in this room, upon the instant; and your sight shall be blasted by a prodigy to stagger the unbelief of Satan.
1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 103"That ball!" he cried, in a hoarse and raucous voice. "That ivory ball! Give it to me upon the instant!"
1908, Howard Pyle, “The Terrific Encounter With the One-eyed Little Gentleman in Black”, in The Ruby of Kishmoor, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, page 34Synonyms: anoon, ASAP, at once, by and by, directly, forthwith, forthwithal, incontinently
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbImmediately, right away.
Cite this entry
upon the instant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upon%20the%20instant
“upon the instant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upon%20the%20instant. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “upon the instant,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upon%20the%20instant.
Source: upon the instant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.