Also: move into. (also preposition) to occupy or take possession of (a new residence, place of business, etc) or help (someone) to do this
informal to creep close (to), as in preparing to capture
informal to try to gain power or influence (over) or interfere (with)
Begin to occupy a residence or working place, as in We are scheduled to move in next month , or Helen is moving in with her sister . [Late 1800s]
move in on . Intrude on; also, try to take over or get control of. For example, Their sales force is moving in on our territory , or The police moved in on the gang . [Mid-1900s]
Noun use of verb phrase move in
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While taking a break from unpacking the U-Haul on move-in day, Frank pointed to the incomplete home on their neighbor’s lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Another prospective tenant claimed building managers flagged to him the issue on the day of the failed move-in.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
“I just wanted something super move-in ready where I didn’t have to touch anything once I got in there.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
And those who do move forward take a “fast-track” option: Houses that are tens of thousands of dollars but are move-in ready.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2026
Our move-in took place in no furtive or clandestine fashion; our installation of ourselves in our semi-detached was performed well under the eye of the neighbouring public.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, July 14th, 1920 by Various
The move, in essence, accomplishes the goal originally set out by the administration’s $100,000 levy on H-1B visas for foreign professionals, which caused a panic in Silicon Valley last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It was a bet that stocks and bonds would move in opposite directions, dressed up in a word that made it sound like a law of nature.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Rather, it was accompaniment: feeding, sheltering, driving, watching, and warning so no one had to move in isolation.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Darling-Hammond described a system straining to keep pace with a changing economy, in which students increasingly move in and out of college and blend academic coursework with hands-on career training.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We'll leave this one for the people who move in here. They can decide what to do with it."
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
