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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  

symbol

1. indium

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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  

abbreviation

1. inch(es)

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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  

abbreviation

1. Indiana

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in- ⁸ British  

prefix

1. not; non- Compare un- 1

   incredible

   insincere

   illegal

   imperfect

   irregular

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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

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

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

This would be the first in a long series of Bob Mackie Barbies to come over the years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

I feel very lucky to have played a small part in his legacy, and lucky that Bob shared his magic with Barbie and millions of her fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Mackie, the fashion designer who died Monday at 87 years old, had taken inspiration from Cher’s wardrobe, sheathing Barbie in a sleek, gold-sequined gown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

I started working at Mattel in 1999 designing Barbie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Joey may be small, but her fighting spirit is mighty, and that becomes clear soon after she arrives in Carville.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

In fact, Bob had more Barbie collaborations than any other designer — more than 60, including both production and one-of-a-kind dolls for charity auctions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

In that case, Kelley worried, even his “Take Me Instead” letter — in which he asked his senator to arrange for him to trade places with Jackson — might jeopardize his son’s naval career.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

In a separate screed regarding the need to regulate A.I.,

From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026

In July, it acquired Depop, a trendy secondhand fashion platform based in London, for $1.2 billion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

In late 1967, the US government, taking into consideration all her services during the war, finally grants her something much more permanent than residency: citizenship.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025

The study will be published the morning of Dec. 5 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology -- IN PRACTICE.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

IN 1956, Egon and Laina Molbak left Denmark and landed in rural Woodinville with dreams of opening a nursery.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2024

IN the low-roofed smithy Will stood with his back to the entrance, staring into the fire.

From "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper

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

And because the government is no longer paying for everyone’s vaccine, headaches around in- and out-of-network coverage are adding to the confusion.

From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2023

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

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

“If this is his revenge, he wrongs me. It was Euron who in- j sisted he be taken, to keep him from making mischief with his birds.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

"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

“Jake finished all of his work for the day -in fact, he did extra and stayed in during recess,” Dugan-Strout said.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2016

Salt deposited by the sea. -in volcanic strata. -lakes of, in craters.

From Volcanic Islands by Charles Darwin

"It's two or three games. It's two or three games too many because I really hate losing, but that doesn't mean the world caves in. In some minds it does, it can't for us."

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“There’s economic differences in terms of what’s accessible for people to send in. People have different reward systems with their kids.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

“One option for them is to cave in. The other is to escalate in a much bigger way, to try to fight their way out of the corner,” said Nasr, the professor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

"You wouldn't put holes in your flask if you wanted to keep the ice in. You'd close the cap and make sure it is firmly twisted on. It's the same in this house."

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Oh, right, sure. Sorry, I’m Jessica’s father. Of course. Who else would I be? Come on in. Careful of the bucket.”

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

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

Similar experimental systems have long been used to study how heat moves through slow moving materials, making them useful stand ins for the rocky interiors of planets.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

"I don't know the ins and outs of it, or how realistic it is, but it would mean a lot to me."

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

My early reflexes came from watching games on TV with my parents and learning the ins and outs from my dad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

He was a great explorer, Harry Cat, and knew most of the secret ins and outs of New York City.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden

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 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

McLean remained in the game and struck out Philadelphia’s Garrett Stubbs to end the inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

But after a conversation with an athletic trainer and a couple practice throws, he remained in the game for the rest of the inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Pitcher Tyler Glasnow runs into trouble early and the Dodgers fall short of a comeback in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

He drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Schwartzie let five of their men come up to the plate that half inning and let one of those five score.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok