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# instinct

«instinct» in Mova's school dictionary: **A natural way of behaving that an animal or person is…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an instinct, instincts; instinct — uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A natural way of behaving that an animal or person is born with and does not need to learn (Birds build nests by instinct). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#m1)

2) A strong feeling or sense about what is true or what to do, without thinking it through (trust your instinct). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#m2)

3) A natural ability or talent (an instinct for music). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science, instinct explains animal behaviour: spiders spin webs, birds migrate, baby turtles head to the sea, babies grasp fingers — all without being taught. Learned behaviour is the opposite. In safety lessons: if something or someone feels wrong (the «uh-oh» feeling), trust your instinct, get away and tell a trusted adult. Phrases: by instinct, survival instinct, gut instinct, trust your instincts, instinctive.

### examples

- Spiders spin webs by instinct. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x1)
- Baby turtles go towards the sea by instinct. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x2)
- My instinct told me something was wrong, so I left. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x3)
- Trust your instincts if a stranger makes you feel uncomfortable. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x4)
- A cat's instinct is to chase things that move. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x5)
- She has a good instinct for which questions to ask. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x6)
- Survival instinct made the deer run. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x7)
- In his excitement he had forgotten the river, and it was not till the cold water touched his feet that he stood still by instinct. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/#x8)

### note

Countable and uncountable: «by instinct» or «her instincts». Adjective: instinctive. Science: instinct (born with) vs learned behaviour (learned from experience or being taught).

### In the corpora

- [Many animal behaviours are instincts inherited from wild ancestors.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/7/)
- [Hunting animals have a strong instinct to chase things that run away.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/8/)
- [Pet cats still have a hunting instinct even when they are well fed.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/9/)
- [Herding dogs like sheepdogs may nip at running children's heels from instinct; the owner should call the dog off.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets/28/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «instinct» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instinct/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.