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• take-in
  take-in

  noun

  a deception, fraud, or imposition.
• take in
  take in

  verb

  to comprehend or understand

take-in

American  

[teyk-in] / ˈteɪkˌɪn /

noun

Informal.

1. a deception, fraud, or imposition.

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take in British  

verb

1. to comprehend or understand

2. to include or comprise

   his thesis takes in that point

3. to receive into one's house in exchange for payment

   to take in washing

   take in lodgers

4. to make (an article of clothing, etc) smaller by altering seams

5. to include

   the tour takes in the islands as well as the mainland

6. informal to cheat or deceive

7. to go to; visit

   let's take in a movie tonight

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noun

1. informal the act or an instance of cheating or deceiving

take in Idioms  

1. Admit, receive as a guest or employee, as in They offered to take in two of the orphaned children . [First half of 1500s]

2. Reduce in size, make smaller or shorter, as in I've lost some weight so I'll have to take in my clothes . [Early 1500s]

3. Include or constitute, as in This list takes in all the members, past and present . [Mid-1600s]

4. Understand, as in I couldn't take in all that French dialogue in the movie . [Second half of 1600s]

5. Deceive, swindle, as in That alleged fundraiser took me in completely . [First half of 1700s]

6. Look at thoroughly, as in We want to take in all the sights . [First half of 1700s]

7. Accept work to be done at home, as in His grandmother took in washing to support her children . [First half of 1800s]

8. Receive as proceeds, as in We had a good audience; how much did we take in? [Late 1800s] Also see the following entries beginning with take in .

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Etymology

Origin of take-in

First recorded in 1770–80; noun use of verb phrase take in

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

take-in take in

Sunday is also a day I get to enjoy take-in from my favorite restaurants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2024

Almost always, she said, there is a predictable sequence in which people take-in an eclipse: it begins with a sense of wrongness and primal fear, followed by a feeling of connectedness and insignificance.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024

If the people of Standing Rock did not take-in their beloved family and friends, there would be mass homelessness.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2017

Bordeaux’s Musée des Beaux Arts is also a great take-in for a mere four Euros to enter.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 28, 2015

As for them French hats and the way they have of rowing, they act it all for a take-in.

From The Wing-and-Wing Le Feu-Follet by James Fenimore Cooper

Across 300,000 square feet and 11 acres of park space, there’s a lot to take in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

She stretched her arms wide, sang along and tried to take in every second of her final walk to the ring.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

They described being unable to take in even the most effusive messages from their audience – the types of affirmations that had initially pushed them to begin creating in the first place.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

There was much musical history to take in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Gran gave the appropriate head nods and “uh-huhs” whenever I paused to take in a breath and calm my jittery nerves.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas