instinct noun
ADJ. deep, powerful, strong | gut | first, initial His first instinct was to run away from danger. | good, unerring Against her better instincts, she ran back into the burning house to save some of her jewellery. He had an unerring instinct for when people were lying to him. | base | basic | natural | primitive | creative | aggressive, competitive | maternal, mothering, protective | fighting, hunting, killer, predatory (often figurative) He plays well but lacks that killer instinct that wins matches. | survival | herd What makes all these people come to the club? In my view it's the herd instinct. | sexual | business, commercial, political | animal, human
VERB + INSTINCT have | lack | develop In negotiating you have to develop an instinct for when to be tough and when to make a deal. | follow, go on, obey, rely on, trust Why don't you just follow your natural instincts? | ignore, suppress | satisfy | appeal to They accused the campaign of appealing to the electorate's baser instincts. | share Both superpowers shared the same instinct for self-preservation.
INSTINCT + VERB tell sb sth Her instinct told her that she was being followed. | guide sb Artists have to learn to be guided by their instincts. | take over Her instincts took over and she dived on the escaping thief. | be right/wrong I've trusted my instincts in the past and they've usually been right.
PREP. by ~ Babies know by instinct who their mother is. | on ~ I acted purely on instinct. | ~ for He's got an instinct for survival in a tough job.
You can also check other dicts: instinct (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition