indoors

American  

[in-dawrz, -dohrz] / ɪnˈdɔrz, -ˈdoʊrz /

adverb

1. in or into a house or building.

   We stayed indoors during the storm.

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indoors British  

/ ˌɪnˈdɔːz /

adverb

1. (postpositive) inside or into a house or other building

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Etymology

Origin of indoors

1780–90; indoor + -s 1

Explanation

If you're indoors, you're inside a house or other building. On the hottest, most sweltering summer days, you might decide to stay indoors where it's cool. During a typical school day, elementary school students spend most of their time indoors, reading, writing, doing math, singing songs, and painting pictures. When they leave the indoors and go outside for recess, you can say they're outdoors. Indoors, first used around 1800 (sometimes attributed to George Washington), comes from indoor, a shortened form of within door.

Example Sentences

Nearly 800 police officers were deployed to enforce the 900m-wide evacuation zone, while a second, wider zone extending a kilometre from the bomb's location allowed residents to remain indoors but restricted outdoor activity.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

This, prosecutors said, was because they did not comply with NHS sleep guidance, could be too hot indoors and had a soft surface that could surround a baby's head and face.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Spring tends to be the busiest season for Canadian real-estate agents, as the weather improves after the snow and cold of the winter tend to keep buyers indoors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

In December, as the program finished its third year, about 40% of the people who had gone indoors — 2,300 of the 5,800 — were back on the street, according to LAHSA’s dashboard.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Because it looks like sleet or snow, the market is set up in the covered building just behind, which isn’t exactly indoors but is warmer than the outside.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron