(used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits).
walking in the park.
(used to indicate inclusion within something abstract or immaterial).
in politics; in the autumn.
(used to indicate inclusion within or occurrence during a period or limit of time).
in ancient times; a task done in ten minutes.
(used to indicate limitation or qualification, as of situation, condition, relation, manner, action, etc.).
to speak in a whisper; to be similar in appearance.
(used to indicate means).
sketched in ink; spoken in French.
(used to indicate motion or direction from outside to a point within) into.
Let's go in the house.
(used to indicate transition from one state to another).
to break in half.
(used to indicate object or purpose).
speaking in honor of the event.
in or into some place, position, state, relation, etc..
Please come in.
on the inside; within.
in one's house or office.
in office or power.
in possession or occupancy.
having the turn to play, as in a game.
Baseball. (of an infielder or outfielder) in a position closer to home plate than usual; short.
The third baseman played in, expecting a bunt.
on good terms; in favor.
He's in with his boss, but he doubts it will last.
Informal. in vogue; in style.
He says straw hats will be in this year.
in season.
Watermelons will soon be in.
located or situated within; inner; internal.
the in part of a mechanism.
Informal.
in favor with stylish or trendy people; currently popular: the in thing to do.
the in place to dine;
the in thing to do.
keeping up with the latest trends and fashions.
the in clique at school.
Informal. comprehensible only to a special or ultrasophisticated group.
an in joke.
well-liked; included in a favored group.
inward; incoming; inbound.
an in train.
plentiful; available.
being in power, authority, control, etc..
a member of the in party.
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.
Usually ins persons in office or political power (distinguished from outs).
a member of the political party in power.
The election made him an in.
pull or influence; a social advantage or connection.
He's got an in with the senator.
(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).
be in for, to be bound to undergo something, especially a disagreeable experience.
We are in for a long speech.
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.
in with, on friendly terms with; familiar or associating with.
They are in with all the important people.
in that, because; inasmuch as.
In that you won't have time for supper, let me give you something now.
in; into; towards; within; on
infiltrate
immigrate
having an intensive or causative function
inflame
imperil
inside; within
no smoking in the auditorium
at a place where there is
lying in the shade
walking in the rain
indicating a state, situation, or condition
in a deep sleep
standing in silence
before or when (a period of time) has elapsed
come back in one year
using (a language, etc) as a means of communication
written in code
concerned or involved with, esp as an occupation
in journalism
expressing a ratio, proportion, or probability
one in five boys
while or by performing the action of; as a consequence of or by means of
in crossing the street he was run over
used to indicate goal or purpose
in honour of the president
(used of certain animals) about to give birth to; pregnant with (specified offspring)
in foal
in calf
a variant of into
she fell in the water
he tore the paper in two
(often foll by an infinitive) to have the ability (to do something)
informal joining in; taking part
(conjunction) because or to the extent that; inasmuch as
I regret my remark in that it upset you
no difference or interval between two things
in or into a particular place; inward or indoors
come in
bring him in
so as to achieve office, power, or authority
the Conservatives got in at the last election
so as to enclose
block in
cover in a hole
(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
(of a fire) alight
do you keep the fire in all night?
(in combination) indicating an activity or gathering, esp one organized to protest against something
teach-in
work-in
present at (the beginning, end, etc)
between
about to be affected by (something, esp something unpleasant)
you're in for a shock
acquainted with or sharing in
I was in on all his plans
associated with; friendly with; regarded highly by
informal to wish or intend harm towards
(stressed) fashionable; modish
the in thing to do
competing
you've got to be in to win
indicating a neutral organic compound, including proteins, glucosides, and glycerides
insulin
digitoxin
tripalmitin
indicating an enzyme in certain nonsystematic names
pepsin
indicating a pharmaceutical substance
penicillin
riboflavin
aspirin
indicating a chemical substance in certain nonsystematic names
coumarin
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.
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
Middle English, Old English; see in
From Latin, combining form of in (preposition); cognate with in
< Latin; akin to an- 1, a- 6, un- 1
Middle English -in, -ine < Old French < Latin -inus, -ina, -inum < Greek -inos, -inē, -inon
< New Latin -ina. See -ine 2
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.
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Oil-tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude and crude products flowed through in peacetime, has ground to a halt in recent days.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Charter rates for the so-called Very Large Crude Carriers, the most-watched vessels in the oil trade, have surged during the conflict, at times tripling from about $100,000 a day in peacetime.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Saudi Arabia began relying more on its Red Sea route after the Strait of Hormuz closed amid the war in Iran.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Clayton will need to work with Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired in June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
During this time, Joey receives stacks of letters, including one from Father Julien, who remembers the woman in black who tried to rescue his diary years ago.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
In addition, Iran and Oman reportedly are trying to reach an agreement to resume transits through the strait.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
In southwestern France, in the region around the city of Bordeaux, more than 100,000 acres have burned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
In an email response to The Times, a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security rejected the report’s findings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the men's 100m, Eseme's winning time of 9.83 was a Commonwealth Games record, the third-fastest time this year and moved him third on the all-time list of African sprinters.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
In 1998, the society had enough of Dr. Harlow's money left to help pay for the bronze monument to Phineas Gage on the town green in Cavendish, Vermont.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
At a compact 45 minutes, “The Delta King’s Blues,” given its world premiere by IN Series here on Saturday, proved an efficient showcase for the talents of composer Damien Geter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
It also involved Teresa Femenía, a researcher at IN CSIC-UMH, who played a key role in developing the experimental work.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025
IN 51 innings pitched, he’s struck out 55 batters with nine walks.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024
The ex-rugby star has already raised millions for charity since his former teammate Rob Burrow, 41, was diagnosed with MND IN 2019.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2023
IN 1946, a number of critical events occurred that shaped my political development and the direction of the struggle.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
I catch in- timidating snippets of the conversations floating around the auditorium.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
"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
She went on to teach at Catholic schools in Chicago and southern California, where she also coached girls’ basketball, before she ended at Mundelein College - on the Chicago lakefront -in the 1960s.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
A country is in recession when its economy shrinks for two three-month periods - or quarters -in a row.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2022
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
In the Scotch of the modern writers we find the form -in.
From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
“This is a horrible situation to be in. Nobody knows whether they are keeping their job,” Greenfield said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
When challenged on the fact this is trespassing, he said: "They're all wide open, so anybody can walk in. I think it's public land."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“They didn’t necessarily look at how many hours I put in. They were just looking at whether I was producing.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
"We shopkeepers are in a very difficult situation. Customers can no longer come in. We're forced to close for a week," he complained.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
“Hop in. The distance is even shorter on wheels.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
BBC News NI spoke to pupils, teachers and principals on the ins and outs of a debate exercising school pupils and teachers alike.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
This two-parter zooms in on the bees, literally taking us inside the hive with cameras that let us see eggs getting laid and newborns emerging as we learn the ins and outs of hive life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
If you prefer to argue ins and outs like John McEnroe—“You cannot be serious!”—then prepare to be disappointed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
And even though I knew the ins and outs of such hokum, I was still impressed.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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 Grose, Francis
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 Morton, Charles
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 Cornish, C. J. (Charles John)
As a result, relievers are rarely locked into the same inning every game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
During the top of the seventh inning, the squirrel found his way between the mound and home plate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
In their view, not every reliever is cut out for the tightrope of the ninth inning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
They pulled into the lead with a two-run third inning, powered by doubles from Eliézer Alfonzo — his second double in as many appearances — and Freddie Freeman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
It was the bottom of the ninth inning, and there was a runner on first.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
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.
