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• in
  in

  preposition

  (used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits).
• In
  In

  indium.
• IN
  IN

  abbreviation

  Indiana (approved especially for use with zip code).
• in-
  in-

  a prefix representing English in (income; indwelling; inland , etc.), but used also as a verb-formative with transitive, intensive, or sometimes little apparent force (intrust; inweave , etc.). It often assumes the same forms as in-, such as en-, em-, im-.
• -in
  -in

  a suffix, occurring in adjectives of Greek and Latin origin, meaning “pertaining to,” and (in nouns thence derived) also imitated in English (coffin; cousin , etc.).
• in.
  in.

  abbreviation

  inch; inches.

in

¹ American  

[in] / ɪn /

preposition

1. (used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits).

   walking in the park.

2. (used to indicate inclusion within something abstract or immaterial).

   in politics; in the autumn.

3. (used to indicate inclusion within or occurrence during a period or limit of time).

   in ancient times; a task done in ten minutes.

4. (used to indicate limitation or qualification, as of situation, condition, relation, manner, action, etc.).

   to speak in a whisper; to be similar in appearance.

5. (used to indicate means).

   sketched in ink; spoken in French.

6. (used to indicate motion or direction from outside to a point within) into.

   Let's go in the house.

7. (used to indicate transition from one state to another).

   to break in half.

8. (used to indicate object or purpose).

   speaking in honor of the event.

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adverb

1. in or into some place, position, state, relation, etc..

   Please come in.

2. on the inside; within.

3. in one's house or office.

4. in office or power.

5. in possession or occupancy.

6. having the turn to play, as in a game.

7. Baseball. (of an infielder or outfielder) in a position closer to home plate than usual; short.

   The third baseman played in, expecting a bunt.

8. on good terms; in favor.

   He's in with his boss, but he doubts it will last.

9. Informal. in vogue; in style.

   He says straw hats will be in this year.

10. in season.

    Watermelons will soon be in.

adjective

1. located or situated within; inner; internal.

   the in part of a mechanism.

2. Informal.

   1. in favor with stylish or trendy people; currently popular: the in thing to do.

      the in place to dine;

      the in thing to do.

   2. keeping up with the latest trends and fashions.

      the in clique at school.

3. Informal. comprehensible only to a special or ultrasophisticated group.

   an in joke.

4. well-liked; included in a favored group.

5. inward; incoming; inbound.

   an in train.

6. plentiful; available.

7. being in power, authority, control, etc..

   a member of the in party.

8. Golf. of or relating to the playing of the last nine holes of an eighteen-hole golf course (opposed to out).

   His in score on the second round was 34.

noun

• ins
  plural

1. Usually ins persons in office or political power (distinguished from outs).

2. a member of the political party in power.

   The election made him an in.

3. pull or influence; a social advantage or connection.

   He's got an in with the senator.

4. (in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) a return or service that lands within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court (opposed to out).

verb (used with object)

British Dialect.

inned, inning

1. to enclose.

idioms

1. be in for, to be bound to undergo something, especially a disagreeable experience.

   We are in for a long speech.

2. in for it, about to suffer chastisement or unpleasant consequences, especially of one's own actions or omissions: Also for it.

   I forgot our anniversary again, and I'll be in for it now.

3. in with, on friendly terms with; familiar or associating with.

   They are in with all the important people.

4. in that, because; inasmuch as.

   In that you won't have time for supper, let me give you something now.

In ² American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. indium.

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IN ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Indiana (approved especially for use with zip code).

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in- ⁴ American  

1. a prefix representing English in (income; indwelling; inland , etc.), but used also as a verb-formative with transitive, intensive, or sometimes little apparent force (intrust; inweave , etc.). It often assumes the same forms as in-, such as en-, em-, im-.

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in- ⁵ American  

1. a prefix of Latin origin meaning primarily “in,” but used also as a verb-formative with the same force as in- (incarcerate; incantation ).

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in- ⁶ American  

1. a prefix of Latin origin, corresponding to English un-, having a negative or privative force, freely used as an English formative, especially of adjectives and their derivatives and of nouns (inattention; indefensible; inexpensive; inorganic; invariable ). It assumes the same phonetic phases as in- (impartial; immeasurable; illiterate; irregular , etc.). In French, it became en- and thus occurs unfelt in such words as enemy (French ennemi, Latin inimicus, lit., not friendly).

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-in ⁷ American  

1. a suffix, occurring in adjectives of Greek and Latin origin, meaning “pertaining to,” and (in nouns thence derived) also imitated in English (coffin; cousin , etc.).

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-in ⁸ American  

1. a noun suffix used in a special manner in chemical and mineralogical nomenclature (glycerin; acetin , etc.). In spelling, usage wavers between -in and -ine. In chemistry a certain distinction of use is attempted, basic substances having the termination -ine rather than -in (aconitine; aniline , etc.), and -in being restricted to certain neutral compounds, glycerides, glucosides, and proteids (albumin; palmitin , etc.), but this distinction is not always observed.

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-in ⁹ American  

1. a suffixal use of the adverb in, extracted from sit-in, forming compound nouns, usually from verbs, referring to organized protests through or in support of the named activity (kneel-in; chain-in;be-in ) or, more generally, to any organized social or cultural activity (cook-in;sing-in ).

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in. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

1. inch; inches.

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in ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. India

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in- ² British  

prefix

1. in; into; towards; within; on

   infiltrate

   immigrate

2. having an intensive or causative function

   inflame

   imperil

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in. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. inch(es)

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in ⁴ British  

/ ɪn /

preposition

1. inside; within

   no smoking in the auditorium

2. at a place where there is

   lying in the shade

   walking in the rain

3. indicating a state, situation, or condition

   in a deep sleep

   standing in silence

4. before or when (a period of time) has elapsed

   come back in one year

5. using (a language, etc) as a means of communication

   written in code

6. concerned or involved with, esp as an occupation

   in journalism

7. expressing a ratio, proportion, or probability

   one in five boys

8. while or by performing the action of; as a consequence of or by means of

   in crossing the street he was run over

9. used to indicate goal or purpose

   in honour of the president

10. (used of certain animals) about to give birth to; pregnant with (specified offspring)

    in foal

    in calf

11. a variant of into

    she fell in the water

    he tore the paper in two

12. (often foll by an infinitive) to have the ability (to do something)

13. informal joining in; taking part

14. (conjunction) because or to the extent that; inasmuch as

    I regret my remark in that it upset you

15. no difference or interval between two things

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adverb

1. in or into a particular place; inward or indoors

   come in

   bring him in

2. so as to achieve office, power, or authority

   the Conservatives got in at the last election

3. so as to enclose

   block in

   cover in a hole

4. (in certain games) so as to take one's turn or one's team's turn at a certain aspect of the play; taking one's innings

   you have to get the other side out before you go in

5. (of a fire) alight

   do you keep the fire in all night?

6. (in combination) indicating an activity or gathering, esp one organized to protest against something

   teach-in

   work-in

7. present at (the beginning, end, etc)

8. between

9. about to be affected by (something, esp something unpleasant)

   you're in for a shock

10. acquainted with or sharing in

    I was in on all his plans

11. associated with; friendly with; regarded highly by

12. informal to wish or intend harm towards

adjective

1. (stressed) fashionable; modish

   the in thing to do

2. competing

   you've got to be in to win

noun

1. intricacies or complications; details

   the ins and outs of a computer system

in- ⁵ British  

prefix

1. not; non- Compare un- 1

   incredible

   insincere

   illegal

   imperfect

   irregular

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-in ⁶ British  

suffix

1. indicating a neutral organic compound, including proteins, glucosides, and glycerides

   insulin

   digitoxin

   tripalmitin

2. indicating an enzyme in certain nonsystematic names

   pepsin

3. indicating a pharmaceutical substance

   penicillin

   riboflavin

   aspirin

4. indicating a chemical substance in certain nonsystematic names

   coumarin

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In ⁷ British  

symbol

1. indium

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IN ⁸ British  

abbreviation

1. Indiana

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in. Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of inch

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in More Idioms  

1. In addition to the idioms beginning with in, also see under out of.

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Synonym Usage

The prefixes in- and un- may both have, among other uses, a negative force. In- is the form derived from Latin, and is therefore used in learned words or in words derived from Latin or (rarely) Greek: inaccessible, inaccuracy, inadequate, etc. Un- is the native form going back to Old English, used in words of native origin, and sometimes used in combination with words of other origins if these words are in common use: unloving, ungodly, unfeeling, unnecessary, unsafe.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of in¹

First recorded before 900; 1925–30 in for def. 29; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German, Dutch, Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Gothic in, Old Norse ī, Latin in, Greek en, Lithuanian į

Origin of in-⁴

Middle English, Old English; see in

Origin of in-⁵

From Latin, combining form of in (preposition); cognate with in

Origin of in-⁶

< Latin; akin to an- ¹, a- ⁶, un- ¹

Origin of -in⁷

Middle English -in, -ine < Old French < Latin -inus, -ina, -inum < Greek -inos, -inē, -inon

Origin of -in⁸

< New Latin -ina. See -ine ²

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Explanation

When one thing is in another, it is surrounded by or within it, the way chocolate chips are in a bowl of cookie batter. In is a word with many different uses. A child can be in a sandbox, and a teenager can be in love. You can sit in your car, or say to a friend, "See you in an hour!" An actor might be in a film, while your dad tells people he's in publishing, and both live in New York City. If your clothes are in, they're stylish, and if you're locked in your room, you're confined inside it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in In IN in- -in in. ins inned inning

Heidi Ann Burge was born six minutes after her twin sister, Heather Marie, on Nov. 12, 1971, in Harbor City.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The former University of Virginia standout was reportedly diagnosed with the Grade 4 cancer last year and briefly went into remission, but the tumors returned in July, according to Houston news site Chron.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

But once again, the sisters put in the work to improve and became key pieces for their team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Even the most ardent Celtic supporters would struggle to share their manager's optimism given they sit 34th of 36 teams in the competition after two games.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

When Joey Guerrero dies of heart failure on June 18, none of the people in her life know anything about her past.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

In a social-media post, he said a safety issue reported internally under the agreement could in some circumstances be used by an insurer to deny directors-and-officers coverage—protection designed to shield executives from personal liability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

In a report last month, it surveyed nearly 200 creators, clinical providers, health brands, charities, and educators - 96% of whom said they had experienced restrictions in some form.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

In the end, only about half supported it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

In February 2024, three months into Stupnikov’s front-line service, Tatiana wrote to Dmytro Karpenko, a computer programmer working closely with Ukrainian military intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

In some places, lepers had to yell, “Unclean!” and shake a rattle as they walked through the streets.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

IN 2021, shortly after Amodei and others exited OpenAI in part over safety concerns and started a new company called Anthropic, Tallinn agreed to lead a $124 million Series A investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

We're talking about locking IN - the phrase you might have seen on social media or heard people saying lately.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

It also involved Teresa Femenía, a researcher at IN CSIC-UMH, who played a key role in developing the experimental work.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025

IN 1963, Spike Lee was one member of the “first Black family in Cobble Hill.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025

IN and out of a checkpoint—a village named Nicolai.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Not that they''re a shoo in- there's a lot of resentment against Mr Sharif and his party, who are blamed for Pakistan's economic misery.

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2024

Johanna Mayer: Yeah, he was 55, so they were sort of in- in their prime of their careers and their relationship.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023

A global audience of 50 million was projected for the July 31 final when host England beat Germany 2-1, watching television in- and out-of-home plus on live streams.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2022

But Riley often takes mesh to another level by adding more in- or out-breaking routes at different depths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2022

When she went back in- side she heard voices coming toward the front hall, and she ducked into the parlor to hide.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

"Little or no sustained growth can be expected until fiscal, debt, and -in some cases- inflation problems are addressed" by the three, the report concludes.

From Reuters ● Sep. 7, 2023

Corbyn, -in his speech, said the referendum held a deep symbolism for voters on both sides, which went far beyond a relationship with Europe.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2019

It begins with a goal or objective -in this case, protecting the environment, or more specifically, drinking water.

From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2017

But there are only so many bucket loaders- privately owned or municipal -in the state.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 12, 2017

STERNUM, characters of the, in rabbits. -in pigeons. -in fowls. -effects of disuse on the.

From The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication — Volume 2 by Charles Darwin

"Everybody's been coming in. They might light a candle for him, pray for him at Mass," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The cats are an “easy marketing solution that brings people in. They’re on our logo and our window paintings,” Ellis says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

“FOMO starts to kick in. But you are not going to chase the names that are leading the market higher — you are going to go into some of the relative laggards.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

“I’m just dipping my toe in.… It’s still an experiment for me,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

“I don’t think we should pull him in. No telling how long he’s been dead.”

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

They discuss the ins and outs of government debt, the idea of state bankruptcy, and what lessons can be learned for future legislation.

From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2026

By Aug. 13, however, the number had jumped to 54 households, “with new move ins happening nearly every day,” the housing department said in a report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Take a step back and, whether we like it or not, we can all see what is happening with all the ins and outs at Newcastle.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

I’ve also heard from various people telling me their whole financial picture, down to the pennies in their accounts, and the ins and outs of their divorces, estate fights and bad relationships with financial professionals.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Well, since you’re referring to them as nouns, just follow the normal rules for making nouns into plurals: Ups and downs and ins and outs, Forevers and nevers and whys.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

The last landed, inned, or stowed, of any sort of merchandise: so called by the water-side porters, carmen, &c.

From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose

They are likewise to carry home corn, which is not inned till August and September.

From A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II. by Charles Morton

In 1622 Sir Henry Appleton, the owner of the marsh, agreed to give one-third of it to Joas Croppenburg, a Dutchman skilled in the making of dikes, if he "inned" the marsh.

From The Naturalist on the Thames by C. J. (Charles John) Cornish

The next batter, Christian Yelich, drove in two runs with a single to knock Yamamoto out of the game in the third inning and leave the Dodgers reeling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The next inning, the Brewers added an insurance run with back-to-back singles against right-handed reliever Roki Sasaki and a wild pitch from left-hander Justin Wrobleski.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Situation: Blake Snell has retired 14 consecutive batters entering the seventh inning, with the Dodgers leading, 2-1.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

A second successful challenge and strikeout — and Yamamoto seemed to want to challenge, pointing to his head — would have helped the Dodgers evade the waking nightmare of the third inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

We did get a hit that inning, but it was followed by two strikeouts.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

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