inside out
Idioms-
With the inner surface turned out or revealed, as in He wore his shirt inside out . This expression dates from about 1600 and was soon used figuratively, as in He turned the verses inside out and revealed their hidden sense .
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Extremely well, thoroughly, especially alluding to knowing something. For example, He knows this system inside out . [First half of 1900s]
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.
Master of many: Diving into specific roles was essential to understanding her company inside out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Ian Dench, Derry's bandmate, said: "I can't think of anyone who embodied lust for life like Derry did. I mean, he was beautiful inside out."
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
"That material is normally permanently buried -- we can only infer what's there. Here, a catastrophic event essentially turned these ancient moons inside out, and we get to see what was hidden inside."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
I am currently serving my 17th year for manslaughter, and reporting on systemic issues within the criminal legal system from the inside out.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Scared from the inside out, from the pit of your stomach to the tips of your fingers.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
