indoor
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of indoor
1705–15; aphetic variant of within-door, originally phrase within ( the ) door, i.e., inside the house
Explanation
Use the adjective indoor to describe something that happens or is used inside a building or house. Your indoor furniture is probably a little fancier than your plastic outdoor furniture. Indoor sports are the ones you play inside, like ping pong and floor hockey — beach volleyball is not an indoor sport. Your indoor voice is likewise the one you use in your house or classroom, a quieter voice than when you holler across a parking lot to your friend in his convertible. Indoor, which has been used since the 18th century, is a shortened form of the phrase within door.
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.
From there, doors lead outside to a patio surrounded by fountains, allowing the indoor living areas to flow directly into the grounds.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
It is an unofficial downtown landmark that was considered chic when it opened as an indoor mall in the 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Aberdeen's new indoor food and drink market is costing £40m, funded by the council and the UK Levelling Up Fund.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Boor began investigating how cleaning agents and chemical disinfectants affect indoor environments during the COVID-19 pandemic with his colleague Nusrat Jung, a Purdue Assistant Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
On her right shin, visible even in the dimness of the indoor light, a thin pink scar jags down from her knee.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
