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.
She would go on to win that final 6-2 7-5 against 325th-ranked Vivian Wolff after multiple delays because of violent winds and a move to an indoor court.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The majority of spread centered on three symptomatic individuals who infected others through seemingly casual contact at a crowded indoor birthday party and at a wake.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
"I hope that they still feel welcome here," said Rob McLane, who plays indoor soccer.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
One study Shain co-authored found that tanning beds accelerate DNA mutations in parts of the body not typically exposed to the sun, leading to a nearly threefold increase in indoor tanners’ lifetime melanoma risk.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Later, during the indoor reception, White House press secretary Ron Ziegler got a message from a reporter at the New York Daily News.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
