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  • in-between
    in-between
    noun
    a person or thing that is between two extremes, two contrasting conditions, etc..
  • in between
    in between
    In an intermediate situation, as in My roommates disagreed and I was caught in between. [Late 1500s]

in-between

American  
[in-bi-tween] / ˌɪn bɪˈtwin /

noun

  1. a person or thing that is between two extremes, two contrasting conditions, etc..

    yeses, noes, and in-betweens; a tournament for professional, amateur, and in-between.

  2. a person who handles the intermediary steps, as in a manufacturing or sales process.


adjective

  1. being between one thing, condition, etc., and another.

    a coat for in-between weather.

in-between British  

adjective

  1. intermediate

    he's at the in-between stage, neither a child nor an adult

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an intermediate person or thing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
in between Idioms  
  1. In an intermediate situation, as in My roommates disagreed and I was caught in between. [Late 1500s]


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of in-between

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Architects, I’m told, are obsessed with the idea of thresholds — corners, crossings, the in-between.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

That in-between space is where the record comes from.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

"There were moments people didn't understand... every step, story and silence in-between brought me to this moment," the Surrey-born rapper said while accepting the award.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

There is an in-between — and no rule that says you can’t travel there with a little cream, a little cheese, a little butter pooling at the bottom of the pan.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026

These in-between places are scary, but then again, I understand that nothing is ever certain.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

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